She and Him
by Thnx4theGum
Summary: A series of short little ficlets covering key "moments" from B&B's respective perspectives starting with episode 99. Will add new chaps for each episode this season. T just to be safe.
1. Them

**Hello. *waves* I know I've been gone a while. The hiatus and 100 really threw my muse for a loop but I'm BACK, Baby, and I do intend to keep working on Blue Eyes for those wondering. But this little ficlet series just wouldn't let me go. Leave a little note if you enjoy.**

**Thnx,**

**Gum**

**

* * *

  
**

Them

The thing about moments is it's not until you're on the other side of them that you can measure their significance.

For instance right now, it's late Friday night and they are still laughing over scotch about two-headed soulmates. He keeps the tone light as always, but as always is wondering if she realizes how long he has _known_ that she is the only one for him. She follows along, knowing he is thinking about something deeper, but not wanting to press an answer from him. She trusts he will share that with her in due time.

What they don't know as she insists that he crash on her her guest bed and he complains but eventually complies, is that tomorrow morning a very nervous Dr. Sweets will knock on her door. He will try not to act surprised to see them both there and they will explain Booth's presence hurriedly. He will wave them off because, really, this makes his job easier.

That is when he will produce his newly finished manuscript and ask them to read it for him and get back to him on what they think. The only thing he requests is that they read and take notes on it separately before discussing it. They share a look, a infinitesimal shrug, and a nod of agreement.

After all, what could it hurt?


	2. 100: She

100: She

As soon as the words fall from his lips she knows what he is asking. In a very real sense she has been waiting for years for this moment. He'd almost done it before several months ago, but had quickly retreated behind the "atta girl" modifier. Her lips quirk upwards despite herself, but she reins them in, throwing his words from the past back at him in a weak attempt to check his advances.

Of course they are useless and before she is fully aware of what is unfolding she is tasting him. This time there is no tequila, no gum, no puckish prosecutor, no dream to awake from. His hand spans her waist as hers clutches at his chest. His tongue teases at her teeth, seeking entrance and her fist becomes a palm that is pushing him away.

With great effort she divorces herself from him, gaining enough control of her emotions to give the speech she has been perfecting for years. Because for as long as she has known what he would ask she has known what she must reply. This isn't about her protection; it's about his.

She listens as he talks about _knowing_ and while she believes the sincerity of his words she knows things as well. Things like which foot he used to lead with, and the hand that holds his coffee, and his beliefs in fate, and black magic, and lovemaking, and breaking the laws of physics. And for as much as she _yearns_ to feel as he does, she doesn't. She can't.

Yes, she can believe in love in the context he uses it in- he's taught her that much; proved it to her time and again to the point where she knows that is what she feels toward him in this moment. But no persuasive argument in the world could make her know for sure that she can promise him the kind of love he is imploring her for: A love that is not ephemeral. The evidence she has gathered to the present has taught her that it will be. Science teaches her that everything is subject to entropy. That given time it will end and she will be alone. Again.

She would do anything for him she has claimed in the past and so she does, knowing by the set of his jaw and the moisture in his eyes that in doing so she may have just destroyed what is theirs either way.

Meekly, she asks a favor, bracing herself for the inevitable. Everyone leaves eventually. Booth is not everyone and he agrees, but lets her know he will be moving on. She nods. She knows.

And as they leave, they merge, held together by a grief that is uniquely theirs. Except they are no longer "them."

They are she and him.


	3. 100: Him

100: Him

His gut, which has been twinging all night, is screaming at him to say or do something, and when Sweets levels his finger at him it's like the last tumblers in a padlock coming into alignment. He knows what he has to do.

Still, old habits die hard and it's not until they're out of the building and down the stairs that he screws up the courage to make the first move. Because Sweets is right about them punishing themselves year after year and it's time to break the cycle before one of them goes insane.

He is the gambler, so he gambles. And honestly, he expects her first line of defense to be his words, because he knows her. So when her first words hit him all he focuses on is "couple" and for the first time in six years he gives into his gut and shuts her up with a kiss.

Her taste is as heady as the wine she drinks every night and he remembers just how _right_ she feels in his arms. More than the kiss of young lust, or of blackmail, for a fraction of a second it is one that knows what old lovers they already are.

Whether it's his probing tongue or the hand that is migrating further north, he's unsure, but something pulls her up short and her sudden recoil and rejection makes him feel as if he's been set adrift in a roiling sea of emotions.

Her words about his protection blow so quickly by him it will only be later tonight that he pauses to consider their meaning. Right now, though, he is laying all of his cards on the table in an effort to convince her just how much he _knows_.

You see, it's not just that he knows, about daffodils, and daisies, and Jupiter, and a hundred other minute details that are part of who his Bones is. He knows _her_. He purposefully steers clear of the words "marriage" and "love" because he knows what they trigger in her and the last thing he wants to do is spook her. More than anything he knows that her still waters run very deep and that if he could just find the right words, she could see that she is more than capable of loving him for 30, 40, even 50 years. They could go through life together instead of the quasi-state they've been living in that leaves them alone every night.

But tonight the odds do not swing in his favor and he watches her pull away, fragmenting his heart in the process. As she babbles about being an unchanging scientist, he feels like listing all of the ways she _has_ changed since they first met, and how much more she could change if she'd just meet him halfway. She does not.

So he stops. It'd be a fool's errand to continue at this point. He acknowledges that he cannot push her in this final step. He may've pushed too far already; though it was worth the risk to break out of the holding pattern they've been trapped in. A tear- maybe for her, maybe for himself- pools in his eye and he stops it before it can fall.

He hears the plea in her voice as she asks if they can still be partners. He knows it will be different now that they've finally been honest and he knows he's even more of a masochist than he knew he was before. But he knows her- loves her- and he _knows_ that every man who has ever claimed to love her before has left. And since the day he learned that he swore he would never be that man no matter what.

So he sucks up his courage and nods. He warns her he has to move on and he can see that she knows what that means and she nods even as the tears flow. She starts to walk away and still he doesn't leave her, but walks with her. Not too close. Not too far away.

So that when she is ready she can cling to him. And she does, lacing her arm in his. And a moment later he leans into her. And they walk away.

Together. For tonight.


	4. 101: She

101: She

She is not speaking in hyperbole to Angela in the least when she voices her displeasure regarding attending the reunion with her old classmates. Her experiences thus far have done little to ameliorate past grievances and serve more as a reminder of how painful that era in her life was.

Not for the first time she wonders if things would have been easier had the schools not been redistricted just before her sophomore year. If she had not had to adjust to a new school and the foster care system at the same time. True, a few classmates, like Andy Fluger, had moved with her, but most had not, and she had been left without the protection of being known as Russ Brennan's little sister. She had also lost the familiar comforts of the science lab that her father had taught in. A lab that she had spent hours of her youth in doing after-school activities with whatever group of students he was teaching at the time. She is still thankful to Mr. Buxley for befriending her.

She and Booth stand awkwardly on the edge of the crowd, observing all of the cliques of students that are forming. His eyes rove carefully over each group, as if he could spot the killer with his naked eye. Or perhaps he is attempting to use his infamous gut.

The low hum of conversation is interrupted by a short speech and then music blares from the DJ's sound system. Slowly, the couples begin migrating to the dance floor and Booth and Brennan follow. She is self-conscious at first, but of course he is not and before long she is slipping into some of the old dance moves she remembers from a long-ago homecoming dance. She's never been to prom, but she did go to homecoming her once. No one danced with her then.

Booth is observing her dancing and she attempts to keep her tone light as she relays her classmates' negative views on her and her dancing abilities. She assures him that she was fine what with science, history, and Mr. Buxley. She doesn't mention how lonely she was without the company of peers. They are having a good time by the song's end and she is starting to feel better about coming.

The song changes and couples move closer, but Booth remains aloof, asking questions about the case, then suggests they get punch. Impulsively she asks if he will dance. It's Seal; the song that all of the girls in the locker room talked about dancing to with their boyfriends. He hesitates and she wonders if she should have asked. A few weeks ago this would not have been an issue between them but they have been redefining the boundaries of their relationship and she is not quite certain where the lines are.

After some awkward words, he agrees, though when she moves close he resists her and again it seems she's stumbled over a boundary line. She wonders what the Holy Spirit has to do with dancing and if he truly believes that a spirit of any sort is between them, but she does not want to risk upsetting him a third time.

They watch Mr. Buxley draw his knife and release the stars to a chorus of oohs and ahhs from the crowd. She can hear the boyish grin in Booth's voice as they clap but she only has eyes for the stars. They remind her of her mother, and of the prom she never went to, and the boyfriend she never danced with. Would someone have asked her out had she not been a foster child or if she'd had a mother to teach her how to relate to the opposite sex? She doesn't know, but she feels sad and alone.

Tonight, she decides as her tears pool, is her prom, and she will enjoy it. When Booth extends the unspoken invitation, she steps into his arms closely again without a second thought and this time he does not push her back, but embraces her. She closes her eyes, imagining that he is the captain of the football team who has agreed to dance with her. It is not long before his body relaxes and he presses her closer, and she realizes that this is better than an imagined football player. This is Booth. Her partner. Her friend.

They are so close now they are barely moving and she buries her head in his shoulder, inhaling his scent and never so proud to be his friend. He is a good man. Which is why he needs a better woman than her; someone whose mother taught them how to love instead of hide.

The song ends and she feels the feather-light brush of his lips in her hair.

Their eyes meet and he smiles wistfully, his voice barely above a whisper, "Beauty, brains, and a whole lot more."

He takes her arm and escorts her off the dance floor.

And in this moment, she is happy.


	5. 101: Him

101: Him

He is going to need a flashier tie and a helluva lot more booze, because, honestly, if one more person hits on him or on Bones he will shoot them; in the crotch. He then reminds himself for the umpteenth time this trip that she is not his to claim and she apparently never was no matter how badly he wants her. He also reminds himself that while shooting something or someone might take the edge off, he'd be stuck in Sweets' office for the rest of his career and as big as his soft spot is for the kid it doesn't go that far.

He focuses on the case instead. They are still no closer to finding the killer, though he's pretty sure it isn't Flugar and he's not at all sure it isn't Mr. Buxley. As more people trickle in they seem to be more normal than the reunion committee, at least, and none of them hit on him as Bones makes the introductions. A few of them- the ones who are now doctors and lawyers- even congratulate her on her scientific achievements and for once, she accepts gracefully. He wonders if it's just the catty ones she doesn't know how to handle.

The dancing gets off to a fast start and proves to be a good way to keep an eye on the key players without arousing suspicions. Bone is clearly starting to get into the spirit of the dance, though he now has no trouble believing that she didn't go to these things often in high school. It's also clear that she's trying to assure either him, or herself, that she was just fine with her science and history thank you very much. Yeah, Bones, you keep telling yourself that.

Of course eventually the music slows down and he tries to escape smoothly, but she's faster and she asks him to dance. She wouldn't know Michael Jackson if he ran into her on the street but just a few notes into one of the sappiest love songs of the 90s and she's just as girly as the next girl. This whole trip he's seen just how shunned she was as a kid and he's never forgotten her story about Brainy Smurf- even though he's wondering what part of horny Andy Flugar could possibly've been captain of the lacrosse team back in the day.

After a brief internal wrestling match, he shoves his own hurts aside for the moment and agrees for her sake, though he's careful to spell out exactly how things still stand because, with Bones, it's always best to be sure you are as clear as possible so that she gets it. When she launches herself at him he has second thoughts, but they readjust quickly and he gets to use the line that the nuns used on him back at his dances even though he swore back then it was a cheesy one. It still is, but it works for the time being and doesn't end in a debate about his invisible Friend, so they're good.

Focusing on everything except the woman in his arms, his eyes quickly spot the gigantic knife that her beloved janitor is sporting even as she's once again defending the man to him. Turns out this time she's right, and as the metal stars fall at just the right moment, even Booth is impressed.

When he faces Bones again, his heart jumps into his throat because for the second time in recent memory, tears have escaped her unflappable exterior. And here's the thing: even though he's spent half the trip in pain because of how she left his heart that night outside of the Hoover, he still loves her. And he still hates to see her in pain, because it makes him hurt too. So this time when he offers to finish the dance and she molds herself to him, he lets her.

At first he is fairly sure that this is God's way of punishing him for all of those other undercover ops where he held her too close, or cupped her arse; or maybe it's for the guy hugs, or the number of times his ogled her in those low-cut fancy dresses. But she is relaxed and enjoying herself for the first time, and she feels so _right_ pressing into him, and she really _is_ the addiction he can't deny. So he decides to let himself enjoy the moment just for what it is. For who they could have been instead of who they are.

And they dance.

Neither one of them wants to break the spell when the songs ends, but eventually he does, inhaling her scent one last time and letting his lips brush her hair so lightly he doubts she feels it. A part of him wants to lay it all out for her again, but he knows he can't, so instead he whispers something else that is theirs. She gets it, and they smile as he leads her off of the dance floor.

And the slow music plays on. And the dance continues. Without them.


	6. 102 She

102: She

She's at his office signing off on some of her part of the paperwork now that the case is closed. They both agree that the teacher is creepy and she laughs as Booth runs a quick background check on Parker's teacher just to be sure.

Things are a little quieter than usual as they work and they both keep consulting the clock on the wall. When she comes to the next stopping place she announces that she should leave and he says he should as well.

The silence is still awkward as they gather up their things and make their way to the elevators, so she attempted to make conversation by mentioning her coffee date with Andrew. He replies that he is going out as well and immediately she knows with whom, though she will not admit just how often the possibility of that scenario occurring has crossed her mind since the case began.

It had been obvious from Booth's earlier actions that he was attracted to Dr. Bryer and it seemed as if that attraction was reciprocated so it was only a matter of clearing out the legalities. She still wonders what their plans are, but feels that is not her place to ask. Unsure of exactly what the proper response is, she comments on the other woman's beauty and is somewhat taken aback by Booth's subsequent admission.

A part of her very much likes that Booth holds her up as the standard against other women and she quickly realizes that she does very much the same thing unconsciously when it comes to other men. She assures Booth that Andrew is not as handsome as he is and silently wonders if she has ever considered a man to be more handsome than Booth since making his acquaintance. She does not think so.

Intelligence is the next quality they discuss. Obviously, though she is quite intelligent in her own right, Dr. Bryer cannot compare to Brennan's level, but she is unsure why Booth would tout Andrew as the more intelligent of the two men. She certainly does not sense the same saavy in Andrew as she knows Booth possesses, not to mention Booth has more than once referred to his boss as an, "ass-kissing doofus."

There's no time to question him, however, as the elevator arrives and she steps in. He doesn't follow and she wonders if this is the first step in his "moving on" process. She can feel the thin veneer of the "supportive partner" front she is attempting to project slip for a brief moment, then musters one last smile for him as the door shut.

Later that night, after she and Booth have shared their customary end-of-case drinks, she will determine the following guidelines for herself concerning this paradigm shift:

Dr. Bryer is an intelligent, attractive woman who makes Booth happy. Booth deserves such happiness, therefore Brennan will make every effort to compliment and support him in his choice no matter what her personal emotions on the topic might be.

Andrew- though nowhere near as intellectually or physically stimulating as Booth- is a good man who appears to enjoy her company and whose company she does not mind. Booth seems to feel sincerely that she deserves a "good man" so it would behoove her to attempt to for a connection with Andrew. (This is a temporary relationship, however, so she feels it best to forgo an intimate relationship with him for the time being.)

Her partnership with Booth is of utmost important and must hold. She knows that it is easily the most important interpersonal relationship in her life thus far. The last two years she has watched him almost lose his life and each time the thought was extremely distressing and something she is not willing to suffer through again. She will therefore be more proactive in keeping him and their partnership alive no matter what the personal cost to herself.


	7. 102: Him

102: Him

There is a perpetual grin on Seeley Booth's face that he cannot fully hide, nor explain. Maybe it's that a woman he thought about hitting on hit on him first and very soon they'll be going on the first real date he's been on in a long time. Maybe it's because for the first time since things when down between he and Bones, they were able to click on a partners' level and close the case without as much of the hurt getting in his way. Maybe it's the thrill he got ignoring his boss and facing down Vladov, not to mention letting the mobster know Booth doesn't cave to anyone.

It's probably a combo of all of those things, but what he does know for sure is that he feels now like he used to feel about himself before the tumor, and is every bit as cocky as his buckle boasts. This new-found confidence, along with the freedom he has because his feelings for her have been put out there, is what makes it okay for him to let a very surprised Bones know that she is his standard. She has been for the last six years. Recent events haven't changed that and probably won't for a long time. He can't quite keep the wistfulness out of his tone, though, no matter how hard he tries.

He can almost hear the gears in her head whirring and before he knows what's going on, he's fairly sure she's just called him handsome _and_ admitted that _he_ is _her_ standard too. He hides a grin when she starts talking intelligence because she's never lacked self-confidence in that department, though again she surprises him by crediting Catherine as being intelligent as well.

A preemptive strike is necessary before she can shift to Hacker, though, because the last thing Booth needs is for his _real_ opinion about the guy to get back to Hacker via Bones. Booth's fairly sure he can trust her not to tell tales out of school again, but you never know.

She moves into the elevator and looks back at him and for a brief second he sees something he's missed up until now. She's been faking it: trying to seem as supportive as she can for his sake, but there's really more going on under the surface. Heck, she might even be seeing Hacker again to make it look like everything's okay; she certainly made it clear she's not in it for the sex like she was the last time.

That slip- and the sad, forced smile that follows- keep him rooted to the floor despite every desire to join her. Because _if_ he goes in there with her, she'll know he's seen through her, and she will falter even further, and he will comfort her with a touch and then a hug, and- who knows?- maybe more. For as much as he wants to move on no part of him will ever be comfortable with seeing her in pain and the reunion all but proved he's a sucker for her tears.

But he needs to move on, he convinces himself, and give himself a shot at being happy with someone else. So, reluctantly, he lets the doors close between them. He will take the stairs, and go on his date, and find the courage to ask for a second one. Later, over drinks, he will be back with Bones, and maybe his smile is a little forced and the joke falls a little flat, and maybe he knows she's trying too hard too. The important part, he thinks, is that they are trying.


	8. 103: She

103: She

On the whole Brennan concludes that this past week has been a good one. She feels that she has done a good job of supporting Booth's relationship with Cathrine, as well as providing information that should be useful to him. A part of her wishes that Dr. Bryer had not selected a tie that featured Brennan's favorite aquatic mammal to forge her social contract with Booth; however, given her profession it is not surprising.

She settles down with the latest issue of Lapham's Quarterly and contemplates social contracts, along with Cam's relationship advice. While it is true that she has enjoyed being exposed to such things as the "Rat Pack" and a variety of modern bands, Andrew is not someone with whom she would choose to make a long-term commitment should she ever embrace the concept, and she wonders if this means she should terminate the relationship before he gets the wrong idea.

There is an article she's reading that's talking about "foreigners" and event though the context is different, a smile comes unbidden to her lips as her mind drifts to the rock and roll fantasy camp experience that she and Booth shared. Like the last time, their dance movements were uninhibited and spontaneous. Much like the other times she has performed in front of an audience, she found playing and singing for so many very exhilarating. She is also glad that her fear that Booth would either be blown up or shot at at the conclusion of the song proved to be an irrational one.

The thought of losing him is never far away these days and perhaps more so because she is starting to feel that if Booth ever does become more serious in his relationship with Cathrine, Brennan's role in his life will diminish even further. The more she considers that, the more she doesn't care for the idea that he will be relying on someone other than her.

Alone with her thoughts she begins to admit that she craves the large role he plays in her personal life and she in his. What they share goes beyond a mere partnership; and perhaps it always has.

* * *

**I'm trying to decide if that last bit was taking a little more liberty than where she's at in the show. You can almost FEEL in that last scene in "Rocker" though how important she's figured out he is to her and how very much she does NOT want to lose him and their partnership.**

** I kinda think that the whole point of this journey- even the awkwardness that's between them- is for Brennan to see who they really are and I think she's close and that certain events which I won't spoil for those who are spoiler free will push her over that edge.**

**I'm trying to be as realistic as possible here, though, and I really think she's getting just how much she dislikes not being the woman in Booth's life. This was the trickiest one yet, because I don't have the next ep to look to for some perspective. "Witch" should be very interesting.**

**Ok, lemme know what you all thought, please!**

**Gum :)**


	9. 103: Him

103: Him

He sets the needle down carefully and grins at the familiar crackle before the music kicks in. There's nothing like vinyl and _Blue Morning, Blue Day _pretty much sums up his life right now. He stretches out lazily on the couch, having traded his jeans for sweats and his button-down for his Zepplin tee.

His feet- propped up and cozy as ever in their stripy homes- keep time w/the beat and he lets himself daydream a/b what seeing Zepplin in London, with Bones, would've been like. There's not a doubt it would've been great. She would've been lost at first, but he would've been there to show her the ropes and teach her the finer points of headbanging, and rock-n-roll hand gestures, and everything else. They might've even scored backstage passes because she's famous and all. There would definitely have been a wet t-shirt contest and he's sure he could've talked her into it somehow.

Of course, that's all a big pipe dream because Bones thought Zepplin was an airshow and turned down the tickets. Though now she knows better. A part of him wonders if a guy who's supposed to be moving on and who _is_ in fact dating someone else should be dreaming about that in the first place. Probably not, he frowns.

The frown deepens a bit more when he starts to question if going on two dates is really dating _or_ moving on. He's not convinced it is and he's not sure what he thinks about that because Cathrine's a great woman and should be just what he needs to get past this deep _want_ he has for his partner.

The song switches to _Double Vision_ and for some reason that reminds him of Noddy Comet, which reminds him of Gordon Gordon, who once told Booth that hearts choose who they fall for no matter what common sense has to say. For the first time since that night at the Hoover he lets himself dwell on what he wished had been the outcome. They could be so good together despite the fact that they shouldn't get along in the first place.

When _Hot Blooded_ plays like he knew it would, he's ready for it. He closes his eyes and pictures her in two places at two totally different points in their relationship, yet each time she tackled the song with reckless abandon. He can see her wide smile, and the gleam in her eyes, and the way her soft hair bounces, and the way she pretty much gave him a vertical lap dance this last time. That is why it's their song.

The thing he can't ignore is that he hadn't needed to call her to the hotel this time any more than he'd needed to watch her like a hawk the first time, but he'd done it all the same and he'd do it all again. Just like he knows he would stroke that new tie of his in front of her again to gauge her reaction because a part of him needs to know she cares at some level. Granted, he hadn't expected her to latch onto the subject like a barnacle but he probably should have. He should've told her too that Cathrine was just replacing a tie that she'd accidentally spilled coffee on during their dinner date.

Thinking about the tie takes him back to her comment about social contracts. He thinks about the tie, sure, but also about Jasper, and Brainy Smurf, and the tree. He also thinks about a girl who inspired him to break out of the expected norms; and the replacement buckle she bought him almost immediately after his original was blown to kingdom come. Talk about a social contract. Though apparently she doesn't see things that way.

The needle lifts of its own accord and the room is still. He would sleep on the couch but his back will kill him and he can't go to Bones to fix it right now. Reluctantly, he rises, checks the locks, and goes to bed. He's just as unsure about what to do with his feelings for her as he was three weeks ago, but he convinces himself that he can't do anything to change her and so for the time being he must settle for second-best.


	10. 104: She

104: She

They are celebrating at the Founding Fathers; she with water and he with his usual as they banter back and forth about whether or not the witches were good people. Booth, of course, argues that they are, but she is not sure how that is possible given that they murdered someone and then attempted to cover up their crime.

She's not sure what triggers the segue but she watches with interest as Booth retrieves a small paper figure from his pocket and begins waving it in front of her. His boyish enthusiasm is infectious as he pretends to make it dance and relays its significance. The concept is, of course, absurd, but then Booth has a well-documented history of placing faith in absurd things.

He is waving his lighter around now and she knows he it going to make a wish. She concedes to herself that there is nothing she can do to keep him from it, but that does not make her any less concerned when the flames lick close to his hand. Pain is something that she does not like to watch him experience.

She lies when she says she doesn't want to know what he wished for; feigning disinterest so as not to appear too eager. He'd tease her if he knew how badly she wants to know. And then he tells her. And she knows what that means even though she says she doesn't because she's not the heart person and he is.

And so he explains. And he teases her. And they laugh together. And tease. Tonight she will contemplate his five wishes (she will also wonder why the witches gave him the "little Bones" effigies in the first place; and how many he has, because she is quite curious).

Love. She's still not entirely convinced that a love such as the kind that Booth touts is sustainable over a long period of time, but it is still something she wishes she could experience. Something she wishes on nights when she is alone with her thoughts that she could lose herself in.

Laughter. There is a quality about her partner that brings out genuine laughter in her whether she wants to release it or not. She enjoys his somewhat boyish approach to life, as well as that smarmy charm smile of his, which can tease a smile from her even on the worst of days.

Friendship. The last six years have taught her about that. Angela was one of her first true friends and she is happy they have been able to maintain that friendship despite their differences. Booth is easily her closest friend and is always willing to teach her more about friendship and different kinds of family. Jack, Cam, Zack, and even Sweets are also her friends and she wonders if she has ever had so many all at the same time.

Purpose. Gordon Gordon was correct when he said that she couldn't live a purposeless life. Working at the Jeffersonian and solving murders with Booth gives her all of the purpose she could desire. She is very content with that aspect of her life.

A dance. She is not sure what he means by this and she will not ask. She does remember, though, the feeling of security she felt just weeks before in his arms at her reunion, and she wonders what it would be like to dance with him without all of the awkwardness that was between them that night.


	11. 104: Him

104: Him

He isn't sure what to think when Ember hands him the small effigy to make a wish on, but in a purely impulsive act he asks if she has any more and is happy when she does.

"Burn it in front of the one you love," she instructs him and the knowing look in her eyes says that she knows just who it is he loves.

So he carries them, like his love, hidden but never far from his heart and waits for the right moment to reveal them. When it's clear he's not going to win this bickering match he pulls one out and dances it in front of her. What he'll never tell her is that "Little Bones" is the nickname he _knew_ he'd give to the baby girl he was _sure_ she would have when he thought she was pregnant. She's laughing at him, but he doesn't care; it's been too long since they could laugh together.

He closes his eyes as if contemplating what wish to make, then says a short prayer and flicks the Zippo. He's nowhere near close to burning his fingers, but it's good to know she cares even as they bicker lightly. She's claiming she doesn't want to know but this is Bones and she is nothing if not curious so he indulges her.

He figured out years ago when she actually _is_ ignorant on a given topic and when she's hiding behind her social naivety and tonight it's the latter. A couple of weeks ago he might have let her get away with that, but right now he's enjoying the comfort that comes from not having to hide his feelings about her, and besides, he really does want these things for her. So he dives in and tells her _exactly_ what he meant.

Love comes first because it's not only the most important thing in life he can think for a person to find, but also because he knows just how big her heart is. A part of him still wants to show her that, but he holds back because he's still convinced this is something she has to figure out on her own.

Laughter is next. He loves the sound of her laugh when it's not forced or contrived. He also loves the half-smirk that accompanies her laugh and he's lost count through the years all of the ways he's devised to see that smile and hear that laugh. He wants her to be carefree more often.

He really doesn't have to wish for friendship for her but he's seen so much growth in her in this area over the course of their partnership that he wants to mention it. She's gone from being alone to being part of a group of friends- a family of her own making- and he is proud of her for it. He's also come to realize that "partnership" is their word for "friendship" and she is the closest friend he has; one he would kill or die for in an instant and without hesitation or remorse.

Purpose is what comes after friendship in his definition of her happiness. Gordon Gordon was BSing them when it came to why she let Sully sail off, but he was right about her needing purpose. He's never been sure if she enjoys working with him as much as doing her "pure science" stuff, but he's thankful she's stuck with him either way and he thinks it gives her purpose. He wonders, though, what she thinks of her personal life- and _if_ she thinks about it. She needs purpose there too and he wants that for her.

His last wish for her is self-indulgent because from the moment they met, no matter who he is or isn't with at the time, he has not been able to stomach the thought of her dancing with anyone else but him. He thinks of their first dance and all of the posers who were hitting on her like they'd never seen a woman before and likes to think he rescued her from them that night. He knows he rescued her the night of the reunion, and every time he's heard Seal on the radio since in his mind's eye he is right back in that moment where they were so close and yet so far apart. He wishes that someday she will get a dance that is full of love with no other issues attached.

It is not until later that night in the privacy of his own place that he releases a heavy sigh. There's a message on his voice mail from Catherine wondering how he's doing and one on his home number from Bones informing him that she's back safe and will see him tomorrow to fill out paperwork. Only one of the voices makes his heart smile at the thought of seeing her again and his mind rest easier.

Very, very soon, he knows, he will have a choice to make. Maybe more than one. And he wonders if his life will ever be the same once he does.


	12. 105: She

105: She

The night before the verdict is rendered, she is exhausted. From the nightmares that haunt her, making sleep elusive. From the emotions this trial has forced her to confront. From the toll that prolonged exposure to violent murder has exacted from her.

She remembers Sully telling her that there was a limit to the amount of murder one could be exposed to before they would burn out. That eventually she would need to get away from it all. Tonight is the first time she has given any credence to that thought.

She thinks about the case, and the boy, and the violent death that he suffered at Taffet's hands. The evidence is overwhelmingly in her favor, however, she is nervous about what Booth calls "the human factor" and whether or not she successfully connected with them. She is also anxious because Taffet's counter arguments were persuasive and Max's trial proved that all one needs is a seed of reasonable doubt for justice to be thwarted.

Booth assures her that everything will be fine after the verdict comes down, so she toasts with him and tries to smile.

The night after the verdict is rendered, she is struggling. With her emotions concerning the verdict. With Taffet's subsequent threat. With the shock that came when she found out that her best friend had gone and eloped without telling her.

She is honestly happy for Angela and Hodgins. Over the last year she has watched them deny themselves a love that would bring true happiness and despite all of Angela's subsequent sexual partners, Brennan knows her friend cares deeply about her new husband. For Jack's part, Brennan has known how sincere his love is since their mutual burial. She remembers how- when they were so close to death- Jack proclaimed his love aloud and even wrote a very touching letter should their efforts have failed.

When she thinks no one is looking, she watches her partner's reaction to their co-worker's news. His eyes find hers and he smiles sadly and she wonders if he wishes that it was them announcing a new relationship to their friends. She remembers the safety she felt in his arms when she told him about her nightmares; the comfort that she felt when he insisted on staying in her guest bedroom that night just in case they came back. It is undeniable that he loves her.

And yet she feels as if the metaphorical ground underneath her is quicksand: constantly shifting and tugging at her. She is not being overly dramatic when she relays her worries about things changing to Booth, though perhaps it would be more accurate to say that things have already changed and she is just now realizing how much and how deeply she is affected.

Booth's suggestion of a vacation- a chance to step back from the emotional turmoil that confounds her and regain some perspective- sounds inviting, and she wonders aloud if she might require more than just a week or two. She can tell immediately that Booth is not comfortable with that notion and finds it sadly humorous that it is he who is concerned about the status of their partnership.

A part of her knows that she does not want to lose their partnership, but she also knows that she is very close to having an emotional breakdown and if she does not leave soon she will lose control completely. She is not ready to reveal the depth of her inner conflict to him tonight, though, so she hails a cab rather than taking him up on his offer for another drink.

He capitulates, but takes her hand and for a brief moment they both cling tightly to that connection. She wishes she had the correct words to express herself, but at this juncture even a single word might burst the last fine thread of control she possesses.

For the second time in her life, she watches his solitary figure through the back of her cab's window, only this time there is no rain and she can see how deeply he is affected. Maintaining eye contact with him for as long as she can, she concludes that difficult choices lay ahead of them.

Entropy will affect them whether they want it to or not; science has taught her this much. And despite whatever choices they make, she knows their relationship will never be the same.


	13. 105: Him

105: Him

The night before they get the verdict he is projecting confidence, but inside he is worried. Not because he doesn't have faith that the Squints will knock it out of the park. He's known that they'll come through just like they always do. But Bones- Bones is coming unglued at the seams and that never makes him comfortable. For her to tell him about her nightmares and let him see how much she's hurting means that things are serious. She is supposed to be the sure one, the strong one, the one who keeps it together when everyone is falling apart.

For all of his worry, though, he is proud of how she's handled herself in the courtroom; how she stood up to Taffet and connected to the jury with just the right mix of brain and heart. He's listened to her testify a hundred times now and this time was by far her best. Nevertheless, her careful control almost slipped a few times on the stand and he wonders what that means.

The night after the verdict he is even more worried, but there's still a lot to celebrate, so he keeps smiling. Their nemesis is in jail, Max is out of jail, and Hodgins and Angela are celebrating their jailbird wedding. Brave words are bandied around because faith's easier to claim on this side of the verdict, but no one minds because once again this team has accomplished the seemingly impossible.

As the confetti is flung on their way out, Caroline mimes that it's his turn next as she follows the happy party up the street. He wonders if she'd still think so if she'd stuck around and saw what he's seeing. Because for as much as he thought Bones was losing it during the trial, she's worse now. She's agreeing with him about getting away; which isn't right. She's talking about everything changing; which scares him even more.

Because here's the crux of it: when Caroline asked if his girlfriend was okay, not for a second did he think about Catherine and right then he knew that he has failed to move on. Both he and the attorney know that he was lying through his teeth when he backtracked and claimed there's nothing between he and Bones. They both know that there has only been room enough in his heart for one woman in the last six year; even after all that they have been through.

So he embraces his feelings rather than pushing them away and allows himself to hold her, and touch her, and be _that guy_ for her just like he's always been. And when she starts to look like she needs time _and_ space to sort things out on her own, he holds her hand for as long as he can, and then helps her into what he swears is the same cab that drove her away from him six years ago.

He tries and fails to at least get her to promise him tomorrow. She doesn't, or can't, but their eyes stay locked together as the cab pulls away and he can still feel the connection there; however frayed. As it moves out of sight, it is now he who's feeling as if the world is shifting out from under him and he's scared he's losing her for good.

Clenching his poker chip in his fist he looks from the empty street, to the bar, and then back again. Maybe she is right. Maybe change _is_ coming. He just prays that they come through it together, because he has tried to move on. But he can't.


	14. 106: She

106: She

She is 30,000 feet in the air, but her metaphorical heart is still on the ground. A flight attendant asks if everything is to her liking and she nods, numbly, unable to form a simple sentence. Silence envelops her and she is thankful that Daisy is not in first class. Events have unfolded so quickly around her over the last several weeks and it is only now that she begins to comprehend how drastically her world has shifted.

Her eyes close and she envisions their latest victim; a man so fearful of the outside world that he hid from those who loved him, hoarded items that were- for all intents and purposes- worthless, and in the end was killed because of his fear and smothered by the very things he had clung to. She wonders how similar to him she is; if the pure science she clings to is worth what she has always believed it was.

A memory comes back, one that she has pondered several times in recent days. In it, Sully tells her that eventually she will need to get away from the violent murder and do something else with her life. She scoffed then, but now she sees the grain of truth in it; though she still sees no value in sailing around aimlessly for a year.

She is hoping that this important scientific project will afford her some relief from the grisly violence, the deception, and the stress she has become accustomed to working with the FBI; not to mention the opportunity to reassert herself as the best in her field. It will also give her time _and_ space from Booth: something she feels she is in great need of, given the emotional turmoil that surrounds them. He has become such a large part of her life that she needs to be _sure_ of who she is outside of their ever-deepening relationship.

When he first asked her to give "them" a try, she doubted she could love him in the manner he expected and deserved. Then came their failed attempts at dating others, and the emotionally-charged Grave Digger trial. Now, she recognizes that she has learned a great deal about how to love from him over the years, but she still needs to be certain that her affections for him are something more than ephemeral. Already the murkiness of the emotions she has been struggling with have cleared enough for her to know that while she declared a love for Hodgins at the airport, she demonstrated her love for Booth at a much deeper level.

The memory of the warmth of his hand and the firmness of his grip give her hope that in a year when the meet for coffee, they will discover that the changes that have occurred have been for the best, and that the center has not only held, but has been made stronger for it.


	15. 106: Him

106: Him

He is restless. Pacing because the decision that means everything is being made and time is running out.

For the hundredth time he wonders what he is doing here and if he's doing the right thing. He thinks about Bones and how he'd much rather be teaching her about eye contact and body language than these kids. But with her decision to head up a year-long squinty expedition, he knows that his gifts and expertise will be put to best use in the Army; that he really will be saving lives.

The door in front of him is still closed so he lets his mind drift back to their last night together. Once he agreed to the Army's terms and was given his date to report, he'd split the time evenly between Parker and Bones, as well as setting a whole day aside to spend with Pops, and an evening with Jared.

The night before he left, he'd dropped Parker off and had wandered aimlessly around the city until he'd ended up at her building. Like she'd been expecting him, she'd invited him in and handed him an already-poured glass of scotch. Relaxed on the couch in her living room, they'd nursed their drinks and talked about everything and nothing.

The couch was where they'd awoken the next morning, his arm holding her close, her head resting on his shoulder, their hands fused tightly together. There was more melancholy than awkwardness as he woke her with a brush of his lips through her hair and explained that he had to get going. They were as reluctant to say goodbye as they had been to wrap the case up properly; as if by avoiding closure they could delay the inevitable.

"We should meet for coffee," he'd suggested.

"In a year?"

"Why not? We can meet at our stand-"

"By the reflecting pool."

"Yeah."

With a shared smile, he'd felt her hand squeeze his tightly before releasing him and without another word, he'd turned and left.

He wishes he could leave now, but the verdict is back and his pass has been denied. As if unaffected, he salutes his superiors and walks back toward his quarters. No one notices as he slips into the shadows and disappears, and when Jared picks him up a mile down the road neither one of them says anything.

As he strides purposefully through the terminal he remembers what it felt like to see her here the last time they'd spent a year apart. His lips twitch at the memory of how hot it was watching through a camera as she beat the crap out of the Homeland Security guard. Things were so different then; they were so different.

She comes into view and he stops, watching her say goodby to all of their friends and marveling at the warmth and love in the exchanges. Her eyes pan the crowd anxiously and his ego soars. He hadn't been able to promise her today, but she is looking for him anyway.

Stepping into her line of sight, he says nothing, willing her to find him and moving forward when she does.

Eyes lock, hands connect, cautions are exchanged, and vows renewed. They will save that date fore each other.

Time is once again their enemy and this time it is _his_ turn to release her. They walk away separately but he can't stifle the impulse to look back one last time. Apparently neither can she. He knows if he looks one second longer he will run after her and never let her go. They aren't quite ready for each other yet, though, so he turns away and starts walking.

Late that night, when he is back on base and has gotten her text that she landed safely, he goes outside and burns the last of the little Bones effigies. The last time they were apart for a year, they went from being enemies, to partners. This time, he wishes that they will eventually change from being partners into so much more.


	16. 107: She

107: She

She had honestly planned on being away for a year but on hearing that Cam was in need of her help there's no question as to what she should do. Daisy has been her sole link to DC for the last seven months but she has come to realize that what she left was her home and her family.

She steps off the plane, the cool fall air a sharp contrast to the jungle humidity, and turns on her cell phone for the first time in months. The voice on the other end sounds the same as she remembered and she smiles when he tells her he landed not long ago as well. Neither one of them wants to wait any longer and they both know where they want to meet, so she forgoes cleaning up and hails a cab.

It's not until his voice rumbles hello and his arms enfold her that she allows herself to acknowledge how much she's missed him and how comfortable she feels within the confines of his arms. Their conversation is understandably awkward as they have so much time to account for, but his smile is the same as it's always been and she feels its genuine warmth and care.

Booth said before they'd left that change would be inevitable and it appears he was correct even though they haven't been away the full year. His new smartphone proudly displays that change has come in the beautiful form of one Hannah Burley. She is blonde, and beautiful, and things between them are as serious as a heart-attack. Brennan concludes Hannah may be a viable candidate to fulfill Booth's desire for a thirty, forty, or fifty year-long monogamous relationship. She tells herself that she is happy for him; repeating that mantra over and over again and ignoring the odd ache in her chest.

Once their private reunion is finished, they are reunited with their friends and briefed on the dilemma that has brought them all back together. She notes how easily they all slip back into their roles despite the time apart and knows she has missed not only the people, but the work as well. When Cam voices her disappointment in Brennan's selfish behavior she pauses to consider whether it was indeed selfish, and if so what needs to be done to rectify that error.

They are effective despite the primitive working environment and even though they've determined that the boy in the morgue is not the missing child, she feels the need to continue the investigation until the full truth is uncovered. Angela voices that sentiment to the others and after their conversation in the diner, Brennan wonders if her friend's maternal instincts are already at work.

Of course, Angela also voices the question as to whether or not Brennan is sad about Booth's new-found love, and Brennan does her best to persuade her she is neither jealousy, nor sad, but rather happy for her partner. She suspects they both know she's lying.

Still, they are all back at work just as she dreamed, all working together as a seamless unit like they always have, and somewhere along the way she decides that Cam was correct in asserting that they have a "good thing" going. Setting aside her own personal desires is not something she has done often and never in her professional career, but she feels it is the right choice and the longer she reacquaints herself with the notion, the more content she is with it.

When both cases are solved the team officially is reinstated in the Medico-Legal lab. Hodgins makes a small crack under his breath about the elephant in the room and they all smile, lingering for a moment as they consider all that has been restored to them even as they bicker lightly over who's lynchpin personality holds the unit together.

One by one they trickle out until only the two partners remain.

"Welcome home, Booth," she smiles, feeling at once that they have now truly returned.

"Welcome home, Bones."


	17. 107: Him

**This one is dedicated to GreysIsTheCatsPajamas, my brain twin, who loves the black angst bunnies and all of the yummy emo goodness that HH is lavishing upon us in Season 6 just as much as I do. Happy Birthday, PJ! Let me know how 30 compares to our 20s, okay?**

**Love,**

**Gumbalina :)**

107: Him

The first month he didn't hear from her, he told himself it was because she was busy. Heading up a major scientific dig was big stuff and, let's face it, she didn't have him to tear her away from her work. He did, however, call a buddy of his and made sure her plane landed safely. The second month, he started to get concerned and hoped that, if she couldn't find time to get in touch, she was at least stopping to do other important things like eat and sleep.

As two months turned into three, then four, he staunched the hurt he felt at being so completely shut out of her life. She'd asked for time _and _space after all and Bones was nothing if not literal. When he would talk to Hodgins, or Sweets, or Cam about what was going on in their corners of the world, though, he could never quite bring himself to ask if they knew how she was; if she had talked to them and not him.

By the time half a year had passed, he'd almost mastered not feeling guilty every time he went on a mission and had to put his life on the line for someone else; when he was himself. And when he saw a beautiful, vibrant woman was in trouble he never thought twice about coming to her rescue; or arresting her afterward for being where she shouldn't. They caught on fire so fast it made his head spin and he was heady with the feeling of being wanted and accepted on every level possible.

Late at night Hannah would tell him about all of the things that she'd done and seen as a journalist throughout the world, and he'd tell her about the cases he and Bones had solved over the years. Being so far away and out of touch for so long made it easy for him to downplay what they'd had; to distance himself from all of the love, and hurt, and complexity surrounding their relationship.

Still, after he'd rescued the boy only to be chastised by the mother, his heart began to ache for DC and for his own boy. Suddenly he felt like an old man fighting a young man's war and no matter how he felt about Hannah he knew it was time to go home. Caroline's tremendous pull allowed him to leave early with an honorable discharge. Parker was thrilled when he broke the news over the phone and begged his dad to take him out for pancakes at the diner when he got back.

**She&Him&She&Him&She&Him**

Now it is dark, and he is home after a long flight. Getting discharged is a hassle and a half, but he bears it well and manages a smile when they thank him for serving his country. His pocket vibrates and the large display screen tells him it's the call he's been waiting seven months for. He hesitates for a fraction of a second, wondering what she'd do if he didn't answer, then is unable to pass up the opportunity and fumbles with the buttons until the line connects.

She is home, he is home, and they agree to meet right away.

With his bag hefted over his shoulder, he steps out of the cab and walks along the familiar path. He can't stop the grin that spreads across his face as he moves to greet her, or the tightness of their embrace. The familiar pang in his heart that he thought was gone rears its ugly head and he determines in that moment that he must find a way to tell her about Hannah before they leave tonight.

There are no five easy steps to tell the woman that you love but who rejected you that you've found somebody else, so after sidestepping the issue of his combat time, he tries to bring up his standing with Hannah as smoothly as he can, breathing a sigh of relief when she gives her approval. He doesn't miss the flicker that crosses her face, but it's gone so quickly he tells himself he was just imagining things. He also downplays the lightness his heart feels when he discovers she hasn't talked to _anyone_ in the last seven months.

As their first case back on the job plays out, he discovers there are moments in which it feels like they never left, and moments when he knows they've been gone far too long. They make it work, though, like they always do, and in the end not only crack the case, but rescue a _live_ child as well. He's impressed that she's willing to set aside her own desires for the good of the team and happy when they're given the keys to the lab once more.

"We've worked around bigger things," he tells her, internally trying to convince himself that his relationship with Bones is different and separate from his relationship with his girlfriend and that the two should be able to coexist nicely.

_Yes,_ he thinks, tamping down the warmth that rises in his chest as they welcome each other home, _I can do this. I just have to compartmentalize._


	18. 108: She

108: She

One upon a time she could take any emotion that distracted her, place it in a metaphorically contained area in her metaphorical heart, and move on. It was how she'd survived being deserted by her parents, by Russ, and how she'd moved easily from one relationship to the next from her early twenties on. Life had taught her that love is ephemeral, and that the less she allowed herself to become attached to someone, the less it hurt when they moved on.

She isn't fully certain that Booth has moved on, but evidence to that effect is mounting, and the more she gathers, the more uneasy it makes her feel. One the one hand, she isn't lying when she tells herself and others that she wants Booth to be happy. She does. It's one of the chief reasons she couldn't initiate a romantic relationship with him when he asked her to and to a large degree she's still not certain that with all of her emotional and social flaws she could make him happy, despite how much she knows he's taught her.

What she does admit to herself is that he makes her happy and watching him make someone else happy now does not bring the closure to her conflicting emotions that she thought it would. Perhaps it is because Hannah is truly likable and is willing to accept her as a friend, or maybe it's because before they'd separated, the boundaries between public and private had become so blurred she's unsure where the line is supposed to be now. Either way, she finds it only raises more questions than answers.

The frustration, emotional conflict, and inability to properly quantify her feelings for Booth put her on edge, and for the first time in her professional career it bleeds into her work. She quickly masks her outburst toward Clark as nothing more than work-related, her parting chuckle as hollow in her own ears as she's sure it is in everyone's.

That night as the partners sit down to celebratory drinks she wonders aloud if selfless acts in the name of "love" become void of meaning once that love is directed elsewhere. He assures her it's still love and she claims that she couldn't love like that, even though she knows that were the situation to arise, she would put her life on the line to save his. She would do anything for him.

He calls her on it and she reverts back to science and the truisms that have kept her from emotional pain now for decades. She admits that she has loved before, but is quick to point out that chemical reactions are not enough to persuade her to rely on them for her happiness. Still, nothing can stop the disappointment she feels when he drops their discussion without hesitation and stands to embrace and welcome Hannah instead.

She feels awkward and out of place waiting for them to finish kissing and even though they invite her to join them for dinner, she knows she can't accept. There is forensic evidence to be cataloged and since she doesn't know how to live the life she's privately dreamed about, it's time to make the most of the life she always expected.


	19. 108: Him

108: Him

He keeps telling himself he will be fine. That he can balance being lover and partner to two different women. And he could've. If his partner didn't pick at the issue worse than Parker picks at his scabs. And if his lover hadn't shown up in DC announcing she was settling down for him.

Now they are together and getting to know one another and the jury's still out as to whether that's a good or a bad thing. So far, Hannah doesn't seem intimidated by his unique relationship with Brennan, and Bones seems – well – like Bones. She attempts to be friendly but more often comes off as blunt and direct, though Hannah seems good with that and is equally blunt in return. He's pretty sure he never needs to be sitting between the two of them while they discuss his battlefield sex life again and he has to remind himself to keep smiling as the story drags out way past his comfort zone.

He isn't lying when he says he's happy, because he is. Hannah is filling a void in him that's been aching for years; one that craves the physical attention and love of a beautiful, intelligent woman. Brains have always been as big of a turn-on for him as beauty and Hannah is no exception to that rule. He does think perhaps that he's overdoing it when he keeps repeating how much he loves Hannah, but at the same time he feels like he needs to assure his partner that he's fulfilling his part of the promise from that night. He's moving on.

Still, there is a quiet whisper in the back of his mind. One that says Hannah can't be tied down by a job any more than Bones can let go of her science. One that sees the thoughts churning in Bones' mind as he is quick to let her know the love behind his actions hasn't diminished even as he's trying to love someone else. One that whispers in his father's voice that he doesn't deserve for good things to last too long.

For now, he will do the best he can by both of them. To come as close to having his cake and eating it too as is humanly possible. The last thing he wants to do is hurt either of them. The thing he fears most is that he will damage them all.


	20. 109: She

109: She

There are certain things about him that she knows. His meatloaf preferences. His brown sugar obsession. Why he never wears a seat belt. Why he's always wanted a rotary phone. That he will not hesitate to prevent harm from coming to anyone he considers family. That his dad drank.

But there are things about him that she doesn't know. That she wishes she knew. If he is a silent lover or vociferous. If he is the prude his avoidance of the topic would suggest, or not a prude in the least as he once claimed. How it feels to wake up beside him every morning. How it feels to fall asleep next to him every night. What he smells like fresh out of the shower. What he looks like in action on the battlefield.

In the quiet privacy of her mind she can't deny the jealousy she feels that Hannah now knows some of these things. That she will know even more things. That she is the one who gets to stay. Brennan still is not certain that she could change in the ways she thought she needed to, but the more she observes what a strong, independent, free-thinking, nomadic woman Hannah is and how much he says he loves her, the more she wonders if she really ever had to change for him in the first place.

Now she is walking, always walking. Out of his apartment, past her car, down the street, going nowhere and everywhere at the same time. She cannot go back even though he invited her to stay and for the moment she cannot bear to go back to her own empty apartment, wondering what his reaction would have been had _she_ been the one to give him the phone. Would he have thanked her the same way? Would she have let him?

When she turns back to her car, she drives to the one place where everything makes sense. It's here she can focus. Here she can rationalize. Here she can make the excuse to squint and never fully open her eyes to the one truth she is afraid to acknowledge.


	21. 109: Him

109: Him

The thing people don't think about is that snipers excel at compartmentalizing. The best ones are pros at it. You learn to concentrate and block out everything else but your target, then you block out the fact that the target is a person with a family, then later you block out the guilt so it doesn't consume you. He was the best.

So when he and Hannah were in the desert he was fine. When he and Bones got back to working together he was fine. Even when Hannah first breezed into town, he just started making new categories in his mind and fitting the people in his life into their proper places. Before Bones, his work and personal life rarely collided and he's determined to do that again in this new reality they've chosen to live in.

This is why he asks Hannah to move in, why he spends less time at the lab, and why he doesn't call Brennan in for every interrogation. It doesn't stop him from bickering with her or going out for drinks, but they both know things are different nonetheless. And he's not sure that Bones and Hannah bonding is a thing he really wants even though it seems like a good thing on the surface.

But there are times when he slips. When Bones is threatened. When someone disrespects the woman he still respects above all other women in his life. He can't help but spring to her defense. Can't help but defend her honor. And he likes that she still lets him, because if he can't be allowed to keep her safe, he's not being a good partner.

After the case is wrapped, he gives himself a mental pat on the back for a job well done. Another bad guy has been put away and now he can go home and celebrate with the woman he loves. If he'd been listening as he approached he would've heard the female laughter echoing in the hall, but he walks along blithely oblivious, and stops like a deer in the headlights at the sight that greets him.

Cam, Angela, Hannah, and Bones. Four women he loves in four different ways; three he's wanted to sleep with; two he actually has. His work life and personal life crashing at full speed right in his living room. Fortunately, Angela is too preoccupied with her own news to point out the irony in their midst and he is genuinely happy for his friend.

His sharp hearing doesn't quite block out the aborted "You're welcome" from his partner's lips even as he busies himself with Hannah's. He knows he is thanking the wrong woman. They insist that she stay, but Booth can see in her eyes she's getting claustrophobic. He's not sure why he follows her to the door or what to say once he stalls her. His heart wants to thank her while his mind reminds him her place in his life isn't here anymore. She chose that, so he lets her go, wondering if he did the right thing.

They might teach you how to compartmentalize your mind in sniper school, but they don't teach you how to do the same with your heart.


	22. 110: She

110: She

Once upon a time, in a place that seems so far removed for where she is now, seven year-old Temperance Brennan would sit in her parent's living room wide-eyed as the man on the television taught her about science. There was always some great trick he did that seemed like magic until Mr. Wizard explained it, and little Tempe was fascinated. Most days, she watched quietly, observing what the man was doing and soaking in all of the information.

When her dad was finished with his grading and his lesson plans, she would interrogate him as to whether what she'd been taught was accurate, then beg him to help her recreate the experiments. He'd done so with no reservations, guiding her through the tasks step by step and teaching her more completely what scientific principles were at work. It was one of the things she looked forward to the most, even when Russ teased her about being a nerd, and she thought it would be fun to be one of the kids on the show who helped out.

As the years went by, her knowledge quickly outpaced the simple precepts taught on the show but she never lost her zeal for it; watching it right up until it was canceled, then devouring the old VHS recordings of the older show her father had watched when he was a boy. Had she opened her gifts that fateful Christmas morning, she would've found a _Mr. Wizard's World_ t-shirt, and an autographed picture Matthew Brennan had procured for his daughter.

Now she sits in her apartment alone, Angela and Booth's arguments for why she should assist Dude fresh in her mind as she absently strokes the aged material of the shirt she would've worn proudly, but never got to. Dude's mannerisms are a far cry from those of her television science mentor, and his methods differ as well, but the science remains the same. Neither of these men hold doctorates like she does, but she can't help admiring them for their efforts in educating young minds in the scientific method.

Cautiously, she picks up the script Dude gave her to look over. There will be a skeleton costume for her to wear, the script explains, and she will help him introduce the show and lead the children through an "oath" of sorts. She will also film a segment teaching them the proper terms for the major bones in the body using the costume as a visual aid. That part will be easy and her eyes skim back to the top, reading over the scientist's oath:

"_We see big stars, tiny atoms too:_

_ Because that is what scientists do._

_ We get the facts and say what's true:_

_ Because that is what scientists do._

_ We use our minds, embrace what's new:_

_ Because that is what scientists do."_

And so she decides to honor her agreement. She dons the ridiculous outfit with big hands and a fluffy skirt. She waits for her cue backstage, listening as the lab full of children repeats the code of the scientist; a code she still lives by. From a small opening, she observes her friends, gathered in support and when she is on stage she spots Booth in the audience with a young girl perched on his lap. As she leads them through the motions and the oath, she analyzes the children's faces; their youthful exuberance toward a discipline she has devoted her life's work to, overwhelming her and causing her smile to widen. When she is done and her eyes find Booth's above all the rest, she deduces he is proud of her and returns his "thumbs up" gesture.


	23. 110: Him

110: Him

The first time Hannah leaves on assignment he's not sure what to think. Unlike Brennan's absences, he knows Hannah will be back and their relationship is stable enough that he trusts her. This is, after all, the woman who flew half-way around the world to come live with him, so if he can't trust her not to take off without a backward glance, he can't trust anyone.

If he's honest, the person he's not sure he can trust is himself. It's so easy when Hannah isn't around to slip back into the patterns he and Bones have stuck to for over five years. He finds himself more relaxed in her presence than he's been since they got back and he's eating almost every meal with her again.

He's also doling out advice, because for as conflicted as his emotions are the last thing he wants is for her to miss out on an opportunity she could've taken. He knows despite all of her bluster about the ridiculousness of children's science programs on TV that she would be good at this. He's seen her perform for an audience before and knows the thrill she'd get from it.

But right now he can't tell her flat out that she needs to allow herself to be happy and attack the rest of life with the reckless abandonment she does her science. So instead he appeals to her for Parker's sake – an approach that's safe and has worked in the past – and with the lure of getting to influence the next generation of little kids. He doesn't outright say it, but he thinks she understands he's behind her 100% in this venture.

Eventually, she runs out of excuses and calls to let him know she's going to go ahead with it. He really wishes Parker wasn't away with Rebecca this weekend because he knows the kid would be in seventh heaven seeing the lab transformed into the set of his favorite science program.

Booth starts out standing next to the squints and Caroline, nervous more for how the audience will take to her than how she will do. The excited buzz among the crowd stirs him and suddenly standing on the sidelines isn't enough. He winds his way carefully into the crowd and sets one of the little girls who's straining to see up on his lap as he sits down.

Soon enough the music starts and Bunsen Jude announces his special guest. Booth's grin is wide and genuine as she bounds on stage with her frilly pink skirt and bone suit. In the back of his mind a little voice nags that his partner-ogling days are over, but the excitement combined with her earnestness drown the voice out, allowing him to enjoy himself.

When she finishes her little rhyme he joins in the rabid applause, unsure if he's ever been prouder of her in his life. She gives him a thumbs up and he returns the gesture, hoping no one else notices just how full of joy and love for her his heart is right now. Yes, he may have a girlfriend and he might even love her, but this woman before him is his standard and for just this moment he allows himself the freedom to adore her from afar.


	24. 112: She

112: She

What most people don't realizes is just how much she takes in and catalogs for future reference. Not that she always knows what to do with that information, but she stores it nonetheless and utilizes it when the opportunity presents itself. This is especially true of her partner. She's not sure when but at some point after their New Orleans experience she began taking a personal interest in his health and general well-being.

In truth, at this point she is just as over-protective of him as he is of her and if she'd ever paused to consider his words about overly-solicitous advice she might have come to grips with the truth of her feelings sooner. That revelation, however, isn't for today, so she rattles off the list of past injuries to him as if they were something every good friend would keep track of. She hopes to make him feel better by pointing out how revered he would be as an elder in some tribes but apparently that doesn't help.

If this had been a year ago, she would've asked him if he ever felt like running away under his father's abuse. She knows she thought about it after her night in the trunk, but back then she was too scared to do such a thing. This isn't a year ago, though, and while part of her wants to help with this aspect of the case she sees Sweets identifying so well with the victim she lets him help Booth instead.

On the ship, she's enjoying all of the personal attention she's getting from the men and considers once again why she isn't dating. It's not as if she hasn't had the opportunity since she's been back in DC, but even now she lacks the inclination and she wonders privately if Booth's speeches about sex not being about "just sex" have taken root along the way. All she knows is she actually likes it now when Booth shoos men away from her and tells her she's "prime real estate" and when he calls that night to see if she wants a ride to the opening of the new exhibit she doesn't think twice.

No, it's not the same between them and it might never be, but tonight she's content to be a part of their small Jeffersonian family because in the end, this family is all she has.


	25. 112: Him

**So I made a boo boo and accidentally skipped "The Body and the Bounty" in my recollecting of these tales. To fix this I'm changing all of the title chapters, but will post the Bounty chapters out of order following this one. I apologize to those of you who are reading this well after the the fact. To err is human, eh?**

**Gum :)**

**

* * *

**

112: Him

There are days when he wakes up feeling far older than he is and days he feels as if he should be younger. The fact that he is staring down forty in his not too distant future is something he avoids thinking about at all costs these days because once upon a time he thought that was old, but now he knows better.

Hannah is younger than him. How much younger they don't discuss but she is and on a good day that makes him feel young, and virile, and needed. Contrast that with Bones and her infinite catalog of his injuries – at least the ones she knows about – and her comments about being an elder in some societies. He doesn't want to be an elder. He wants to hunt.

So yeah, he's a little touchy when Sweets comes to him for love advice like he's some sort of love guru, and when his partner tells him to double-check his facts. They bicker over the hour-long drive to Calvert County and are still bickering when they knock on the widow's door, though by then it's the comfortable sort of bickering that used to flow between them all of the time. He recognizes her "I was right" smirk too and is surprised when she doesn't say it out loud. She even lets Sweets take point in the questioning back at the Hoover in favor of staring at her old bones back at the lab.

Hannah calls after lunch and they chat. Their light banter stands in sharp contrast to the conversation he and Bones had over lunch and he realizes that even if he _could_ share case details with her, she wouldn't get how he knew abused kids think about running away. Those are things he can't tell her; things that remind him how quickly he had to grow up. When the call comes in that they've tracked down Hunter Lang, Hannah tells him not to pick up any strange women at the docks, he promises he won't, and they hang up.

The cougar cruise is a floating disaster. Suddenly, Hannah's thirty years seem old enough not to make him feel like a pervert, but not young enough to make him feel young like these guys. So he jokes and makes cracks and does his best to shoo the babies away from his partner without her kneeing him in the groin for his trouble. Dating or not, the last thing he wants is to watch someone hit on her, or vice versa. Besides, he reminds Sweets and Brennan, they're here to solve a murder.

The captain reminds Booth of some of his dad's buddies. Always buzzed but not in the mean way. His instinct that the guy knows more than what he's remembering is right, though, and when plastering him to jog his memory works, Booth is happy. Pegging the wife proves to be a little trickier than normal but once the squints do their thing, he has no problem getting her to break. Being older and more experienced has its advantages.

Later that night he stands beside his partner and the rest of the squints, watching proudly as his old friend come to grips with things in her past. Maybe, he admits to himself, time has crept up on all of them, but it's given them a family too and as hard as that can be at times it's something he doesn't take for granted; something that on nights like tonight, he's very proud to be a part of.


	26. 111: She

**As promised, first skipped chapter for "The Bones that Weren't."**

**Gum :)**

**

* * *

**

111: She 

As a scientist she is familiar with the concept of adaptation, though some things, she's found, are easier to adapt to than others. It's easy, for example, for her to adapt to working in the lab more often these days and focusing more on her science than playing detective. It's not easy, though, knowing that Booth now spends his extra time with Hannah, though she believes she hides this well by being cordial toward the woman and offering Booth pertinent relationship advice when she can.

Still, being in the lab more allows her to witness things like the birth of Angela's replica skeleton. It's a novel concept and she is both amazed and proud of her friend for coming up with such a unique solution. Not having any bones to work with would make Brennan's job difficult otherwise.

When Booth asks if she wants to go along to the park with him she's more than pleased to do so. The performers intrigue her, both as an anthropologist and a fan of the performing arts. The prestidigitator is quite charming and while Booth is unimpressed, Brennan smiles widely and takes back her bracelet. The most impressive performer, however, is the Shakespearean bronze man, and she is truly disappointed when she's called back to the lab, leaving Booth to seek out Sweets as an interpreter and is pleased when the opportunity to go back presents itself.

It never occurs to her not to look at Hannah's x-ray when she finally gets to the hospital. Hannah is important to Booth, Booth is important to Brennan, therefore Brennan will lend her expertise where it is needed. Apparently it is much needed in this instance and she doesn't miss the gratitude in Booth's eyes when he realizes how much she's done. She turns away before her ability to compartmentalize is weakened any further remembering other times he's looked at her that way.

Later, when she decides to visit Hannah in the hospital, she learns she must adapt once more. It is clear from the evidence surrounding her that this woman is now an important fixture in Booth's life. She isn't going anywhere any more than Brennan is. Logic dictates that getting to know Hannah better, even befriending her, could only help their mutual relationships with Booth. Years ago he taught her that the best way to establish a relationship with someone is to offer up a piece of yourself. So she does, metaphorically, in the form of her pair of sunglasses. She's still not certain how well she can adapt to this paradigm shift, but she will be accused of doing anything less than her best at trying.


	27. 111: Him

111: Him

He has a gut feeling that morning when Hannah leaves that she isn't going to play it safe but he lets it go so that he can concentrate on his own job. When the squints get back to him and let him know that the piece of skull he saw that morning is about the only thing left he forgets all about his concerns at home because even for a bunch of geniuses, this isn't a good situation. Still, they've gotten him out of tighter jams in the past and he's come to decide they just don't accept the term "impossible" and he's good with that.

On the cop end, his leads bounce them from one part of town to the next, but no one really stands out to him right away. The magician at the park rubs him the wrong way but he knows that's more because the guy is hitting on Brennan more than anything. Try as he might he can't tamp down on his protective streak because at the end of the day, she's his partner and her safety is on his head when they're out in the field.

Then the call comes and the bottom of the new little world he's been building drops out. Hannah has been shot. That's all the caller on the other end tells him. He didn't have to ask where she was when she got shot and the nagging feeling he had that morning twists in his gut like a knife. In his world, "shot" is never a good thing.

Brennan isn't content to let him leave her behind and insists on coming with him to the hospital. He agrees but leaves her behind at the desk when he arrives, his only thought the need to make sure Hannah is still alive. She is and despite her leg being trussed up she's smiling and eager to share her adventures with him. He wonders why it is he always falls for the risk-takers.

He's breathing easy when the woman he'd almost forgotten had come with him shows up with Hannah's x-ray. He should've known she would be too curious _not_ to look. Before he can decide if her curiosity is a good or a bad thing, however, she proves it to be a great thing. A life-saving thing. Booth looks down at Hannah, realizing how close he came to losing her, then back up at Brennan to thank her.

There's is a tiny tug in the deep recesses of his heart because it's this compassionate side of her – the side that would literally do anything for someone she considers a friend – that attracts him to her still. He marvels further when he finds she's confronted the emergency room doctor and conferred with the surgeon to point out her discovery. It's her confidence that all will be well that allows him to go back to work and focus on the case.

Later, after the danger has passed and the case has been solved, Hannah laughs, relaying her conversation with Brennan and showing off her new sunglasses. Booth puts on a smile and informs Hannah that Brennan is right that he would be very upset if something happened to her. But every time he sees the glasses from then on he can't help but think not of the woman wearing them, but the woman who gave them and the big heart she doesn't even realize she has.


	28. 113: She

113: She

She is proud of herself for personifying love even though she also thinks the young man was also an idiot. To a large degree she still enjoys accuracy and rationalism over whimsy, but when she speaks in the vernacular she feels as if she connects better to people and she likes that. Her mania for the truth hasn't wavered, but she has tempered herself in other respects and is continually looking for ways to improve herself.

Connecting with others is something she's trying to improve on. During the Gravedigger's trial just before she decided to go to Maluku she had questioned whether connecting with people kept her from doing the best job she could but she's come a long way from there. Being away from the people in her life who mean the most to her helped her realize how much she loved and needed them after all. It was a long seven months with only Daisy for company.

She hears the chime from Booth's pocket and notes that his countenance changes as he reads the message. There's no surprise on her end when he tells her it's Hannah. She's certain he can't wait to reconnect with her and she doesn't like the feelings of jealousy that notion awakens.

Now he is trying to rationalize not going to Angela and Hodgin's gathering. So she does what she feels any good friend would and offers to lie for him. They both know she prefers the truth above all else but he obviously wants to go as he accepts her request and leaves without further ado.

Upon entering alone Hodgins asks her where Booth is and she prevaricates convincingly enough, though is thankful when she is able to take her place at the tables with the other guests. She watches her dear friend's face glow as he leads up to making the announcement and while she does not do so great a job acting surprised, she is happy for them.

As glasses are raised and toasts are made she thinks of Booth, hoping that he is truly happy right now but wishing he were here to celebrate the soon-to-be expansion of the family he was so instrumental in drawing together.


	29. 113: Him

113: Him

Between these two there has always been a fine line between love and partnership and he knows it. He's slipped in the recent past and found himself admiring her in a less-than-partnerly way. So this time when Hannah goes away he gives himself rules: No more extended lessons on the nature of love. No letting himself be too dazzled. No hanging out at the lab unnecessarily.

He knows that might entail being short with her sometimes or not getting to have fun with her like they used to but he reminds himself that _this_ is the way things are. Not only that but _she_ chose not to pursue things with him so he has every right to pursue love with somebody else. It's ass-backwards, he tells himself repeatedly, for him to feel guilty about spending time with his girlfriend over his partner. She's his responsibility in the field and that's as far as it goes.

He's wondering how in the world they've gotten to her personifying love as an idiot and how to change the topic when his phone chirps. Hannah is in the air. On her way home. He doesn't bother to tell Brennan she won't be there for a few hours still because suddenly spending a night out on the town with the squints seems like it should be against the rules too. Yes, they're his squints and he would beat down any agent who said otherwise but at the end of the day they belong to the lab and the lab belongs to her, so they're hers more than his.

She offers to lie for him and he isn't sure because he knows her and her mania for the truth and she shouldn't compromise herself for him like that. But there's that look in her eyes that says she knows what she's offering and she wants to do it for him and in the battle to divorce himself further from his feeling's she's giving him an easy out.

He takes it. Tells himself he's not missing much. Doesn't focus on the fact he knows he can act surprised better than any of the squints. Lets his _partner_ believe it's all about the sex for him and that he's moving on. He promised her he'd move on, didn't he?

He walks away into the night, feeling like he should feel proud of himself for being loyal to his girlfriend. Because that's who a guy in love chooses at the end of the day right? Right?


	30. 114: She

114: She

While for the most part she is uncomfortable interacting with children, the lone exception to that rule has always been Parker Booth. Perhaps it's because she's known him since he was young or, because like many children he is highly intuitive and likes her simply on the merit of her friendship with his father. Either way, it's a relationship she values, especially since Booth asked her to be his hamlet of 800 people or less.

Of course, that was before Booth offered his affections to her and she rejected him. Now Booth has come to here and explained the current situation between himself, Hannah, and Parker. Brennan tries as best she can to understand the quandary and present some acceptable compromises. She suggests boarding school not because she thinks Booth will be amenable to it, but rather so he can see more clearly that he must take a direct, honest approach. She's found over the years that Parker responds especially well to the truth no matter how difficult Booth might feel it is.

She tells him not to worry, because whether the relationship falls apart due to Parker's non-interest in Hannah or not, worrying won't do any good. Besides, Booth worries too much about things he has no control over as it is. The picture he is painting right now suggests the situation is bleak, however, Booth was unduly worried about Parker's concern last year that Booth be "sexed up" so the outcome could go either way. When he announces later in the car that he thinks things are looking up, she can't deny the flash of jealousy though she hides it quickly.

That night as the two of them sit at their table at the diner, she wants to inquire about Parker but isn't sure it's her place any more. Instead, she assures him she does not see the teacher's actions as correct in any way. She's appalled that someone in a position of authority would abuse that privilege and she's quite certain she would be livid should one of Parker's teachers attempt to seduce him when he is seventeen.

Instead of bringing this up with Booth she cracks a joke instead and while they both know it's fallen flat, she is thankful to him for not pointing it out to her. Booth has always been more accepting of her social awkwardness than most.

A noise behind catches her attention and she cannot hide a smile as Parker joins them at the table, followed closely by Hannah. It appears they've enjoyed their outing and Brennan can't help but think of the much younger Parker who raved about a similar zoo experience with his mother's boyfriend. Apparently it's still a favorite.

Brennan can see the pride in Booth's eyes, both for his son learning to like his new girlfriend and toward his girlfriend for making the effort. Their hands clasp across the table and Brennan suddenly feels like an interloper. Yes, she enjoys Parker's company and is happy that he still considers her cool and wishes her to indulge his fancy for inane scientific trivia; however, she knows she is not a part of this new family group. Never did it occur to her that in rejecting Booth's offer to give _them_ a shot so many months ago, she could be abdicating her role in his village as well.


	31. 114: Him

114: Him

As Booth drives to work, leaving Hannah to clean up the shards of glass from the picture frame at her insistence, he ponders the situation. When he first came back he hadn't mentioned Hannah right away to his son. But Bones knew about her and if Bones knew he had to tell Parker. So right before the infamous meatball incident, Booth had sat Parker down and explained that he had a girlfriend named Hannah, who was far away in Afghanistan. He had even offered to show Parker a couple of news clips she'd done.

Parker's only concern seemed to have been whether or not they could still go over to Brennan's apartment and swim and once he was assured they could he didn't say anything else. The silent arrangement between them worked fine for Booth – who wasn't big on sharing his love live with his kid – until Hannah moved in. She'd made it clear she was nervous around kids so he hadn't pushed it. She was away enough that he could have Parker on his usual weekends and when Parker noticed the extra stuff laying around Booth had revealed she was living with him.

That was when it had hit the fan. Parker had been sulky and ornery the rest of the visit and in the few times he'd been over since he wouldn't come unless Booth assured him _she_ wasn't there. This should be one of his weekends so Parker will be there and so will Hannah. He decides it might be time for a change but figures it couldn't hurt to get the kid shrink's take on it before he does anything drastic.

He realizes how big of an issue it's become when Bones picks up on his mood and offers her own brand of advice. Once he gets past her whole boarding school spiel he admits she's not far from the truth. Worrying won't do him any good and Parker and Hannah will have to meet eventually whether either one of them wants to or not.

At the park he's pretty sure he's screwed everything up when Hannah sends him away so she can face Parker alone. He offers his lame phone excuse and moves to where he can see without being seen. Slowly he watches Hannah draw Parker out of his shell and he can see how she's won so many awards for getting people to spill their guts. By the time he rejoins them not only are they laughing together, but ice cream plans are being hatched.

Booth regretfully points out he has to go back to work but Hannah doesn't and Parker agrees to let her take him alone. The three of them shoot a few hoops until Booth has to leave and they agree to meet at the diner later for dinner.

The whole time he is talking with Bones about the latest case he's watching the door, hoping that he hasn't made a huge mistake in leaving Parker and Hannah on their own. But the wide grin on his boy's face that greets him as the bell above the door jingles sets his mind and heart at ease. And as the tales from the day pour out, Booth allows himself a genuine smile.

Parker and Bones are friends. Parker and Hannah are friends. Even Hannah and Bones are friends. And for the first time since Hannah arrived in DC Booth thinks that maybe all of the people he cares the most about will get a happy ending after all.


	32. 115: She

115: She

When people see Dr. Temperance Brennan at work they see a woman who is cold and distant, though undeniably good at her job. What they don't realize is that the distance they see is just the result of her undying passion for her work. The victims that come to her, she spends hours – sometimes days – with them, studying their bones until she knows them as intimately as any parent or lover. It's her drive – her mania for the truth – that compels her to push her own body to the limits. To keep her emotions at bay so that she can focus. No killer should escape judgment. No family should be left forever wondering what happened to their loved one.

Only once before has she felt _this _connected to a case, however, and it unnerves her as her carefully constructed house of reason begins to unravel. The last time it was a dolphin belt buckle that was her undoing. This time it is a ring.

Booth's words about the similar body type work ethic reverberate in her mind and she finds it increasingly difficult for her to breathe when she sees Lauren Eames' photograph. Fear in a handful of dust? Yes. She's felt that before: in the pitch black of a trunk; in the depths of a hostile jungle; in a car underground. She knows what it's like to wonder if anyone would miss her: as a foster child; as one small member of a larger dig; as a partner.

At one point she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if no one else missed her when she was gone, Booth would and he would go to whatever lengths necessary to avenge her death if there was any wrongdoing. Now she isn't sure. She thinks perhaps she abdicated that when she refused to give "them" a chance so long ago. A chance Hannah gave him without a second thought.

When the helicopter pilot tells her to look into his eyes she does and is startled to find the same pain she saw in her partner's eyes that night outside the Hoover. The more she uncovers the more she is driven to find the truth of what would lead a woman so like herself to take such a risk with her physical body when it was clear Eames protected herself emotionally with impenetrable.

The evidence leads her back to Woodland. She's dimly aware of the rain as she steps out of the cab but when the reflector on the road catches her eye everything else fades around her. Kneeling, she traces it with her fingers, mentally sighing as the last puzzle piece clicks into place. She knows what happened.

Bright lights flash in her periphery, startling her out of the reverie and before she can react a form materializes out of the darkness and whisks her to safety. Booth. He hasn't forgotten her. She tells him what she knows. He requires no evidence to support her theory. He accepts her for who she is.

The weight of regret presses down until she can no longer bear it. Scarcely meeting his eyes she knows what his answer will be before the words are fully formed on her lips. He would not be the man she respects – the man she loves – had he responded any differently. She is too late. He has moved on. She is alone.

Over the next three days her world slowly rights itself again and the raw pain fades to a dull ache. But she is alive. She has friends and a purpose. She is without regret.


	33. 115: Him

115: Him

He is pleasantly surprised one day when she invites he and Hannah over to her place for a small dinner party. She explains that she wants to celebrate their mutual homecoming, but adds quickly that Sweets and Cam can't make it so she'll understand if he and Hannah can't either. He assures her they'll be there.

Arriving at her apartment seems odd somehow. Nothing has changed in the apartment in the months since he's been there yet for the first time he feels like a visitor; an outsider versus a close friend. He shakes it off quickly and offers to help, only to discover Brennan is as efficient as always. Over the past several years she's learned how to entertain for dinner and tonight is no exception.

He smiles at her thoughtfulness even in the food she's selected for them. Trust Bones to find an anthropological link to beans. Across from him Angela and Hodgins shake their heads as he challenges Bones to analyze the chicken. It's fun and gets them laughing like he knew it would; at least before the chorus of phones goes off.

It's at the crime scene that he first notices something is "off" with his partner. Something in the way she looks up at him while they're talking about the victim's build. He doesn't think too much about it though because contrary to popular belief he knows how deeply she can feel about their victims. Only in retrospect is he able to put together the pieces that warn him she's gone too far this time.

That flash of insight comes, ironically, as he and Hannah stand in his office. His girlfriend is talking about what they might have for dinner and asking him what sounds good but his mind couldn't be further from her. Abruptly he tells her he might be working late tonight and leaves it at that. How can he explain a gut feeling about his partner even he doesn't fully understand?

It's six at night when he finally gives up all pretense of working and drives to the Jeffersonian. After their heated argument he's not sure he's up for a round two with her until he can figure out what's going on inside of her genius brain so he merely sits and waits for something to happen. Patience is something he excels at when he is focused on an objective and tonight's objective is to make sure his partner doesn't do anything stupid.

His silent vigil is interrupted some time later when a cab pulls up to the building. Sure enough, through the rain he can pick out the familiar form of his partner as she comes into view moments later and steps into the cab. He waits a full thirty seconds, then starts his own car and cautiously follows her into the night.

Staying a safe distance behind while trying to tail a car in the rain isn't the easiest thing and it's not until they stop that Booth realizes where she's led them. Woodland. He parks in the shadows, waiting for what she will do next.

He isn't sure why she's sent the cab away and from where he's parked it's hard to keep an eye on her as the rain sluices down. Time to get a closer look.

Mere seconds after his door clicks shut behind him, he spots the headlights. His head whips around to find her and when he sees her back is facing the oncoming car his legs begin to churn under him. There's no time to call out. No time to think of the consequences. Only time for the most grueling footrace he's ever been in.

Time slows to a crawl as he approaches, swooping down on her like an avenging angel, trench coat whirling as he pulls her to safety just in the nick of time. The other driver speeds off and is swallowed by the darkness.

She's looking at him with eyes he's never seen before; yearning for approval yet lit with a fire he doesn't recognize and can't pin down. Of course he believes her. He always has. Always will.

As they're driving back he can feel her eyes on him as if she's studying him in a new light. Her words feel like she's talking about two things at once and he's so distracted by whatever's come over her that he's not immediately worried when he doesn't recognize the name Micah. There will be plenty of time to check into that guy later.

Red flags are cropping up like weeds in his mind, warning him that she's about to make some sort of huge move and the closer she gets to it the more he prays she's not going to do what she thinks he's going to do.

And then she does.

No regrets, she says brokenly. And they both know what she means. His heart is pounding in his ears, throat clogged with emotion, mouth dry and unsure how to respond. Words seem trite and he knows as they flee his lips they can't help but pierce her heart, but he can't stand to give her anything less than the truth. She's taught him how important the truth is and it kills him to honor that part of her right now.

Her face crumbles and it's all he can do to grip the steering wheel and not pull over and take her into his arms. Her eyes tell him she'd known what he had to say, but they're powerless against the flood of her tears and the dam breaks. Her sobs crush his soul because he knows what she is going through; knows what it feels like when you discover your timing is horridly off. To discover you will most likely never have the one person you can't exist without.

Any words he uses sound empty and wrong in his ears but he has to say something; offer to let someone be there for her since he can't. She shakes him off and the silence between them is deafening.

On that fateful night at the Hoover, they'd left shaken to the core, but still together; still clutching one another. Tonight he pulls up to her building: she goes one way and he the other. And in his heart he wonders if they can ever be the same again.


	34. 117: She

116: She

Appeal.

As an author and linguist she is aware of the power of words but never once has a single word struck such fear in her.

Appeal.

She has always trusted the justice system to take the evidence she's presented and render the correct judgment but in this case, with this woman, given how close they came in the first trial, she cannot be certain.

Appeal.

The night after she discovers the news the nightmares begin again. Hodgins dies of shock. Booth drowns. Cam is poisoned. Angela is stripped of her child.

On and on the list goes: Sweets, Daisy, Vincent, Wendell, Clark, Fischer, Arastoo... All people she has invested part of herself into. All people this person could use as leverage against her. Is trading her solitude for so much fear worth it?

She will not go to the appeal this time. She will stay protected within her house of reason and wait for Booth to relay news of the Gravedigger's fate to her.

The news is not what she expects. The killer has been killed.

She once argued with a lawyer that there are certain people who deserve to die and given the heinous acts the Gravedigger committed Brennan has no qualms with her death on that level. In the privacy of her office she breathes a quiet sigh of relief because justice for THESE victims will not be miscarried. Because this family she has created without meaning to will be safe.

The reality she accepts, however, is that whoever the shooter is they have transgressed the boundaries of the law. They have issued a judgment that was not theirs to make any more than it was hers. This shooter is a murderer and bringing murderers to light is what she and Booth do best.

Days pass. Evidence is gathered. The truth drifts to the surface. This time Booth calls to tell her the killer got away.

She cannot deny feeling hurt that Booth didn't ask for her help. Didn't warn her- or anyone - that he was going after Broadsky alone. But she says nothing when she arrives in a cab at his location. Nothing as she drives him to the hospital. Only a soft jab of reproof at the diner.

Now she stands on the sidewalk, listening to the blood rush through her ears and echo off the shell's walls. Before reason can hem her in she closes her eyes just enough to pretend it is the ocean.

A smile spreads and for now her burdens allow her to fly.


	35. 117: Him

_**A/N: This fic is taking a whole lot longer to finish than I'd originally thought and it's not helping that summer vacation pretty much swallowed me whole. However, I'm back so look for regular updates for this and my other fics from here on out. I also just realized that I skipped "The Body in the Bag" so I'll be going back and doing that one next. Thanks for your patience and your reviews.**_

_**Gum :)**_

117: Him

When word comes down that Heather Taffett will be going back to court it is Caroline who makes sure Booth is assigned to the security detail and he takes it seriously. True, there will never be any love lost between he and the ruthless kidnapper, but at the same time he can acknowledge that she deserves her right to due process and that there are plenty of people out there who won't see it that way.

His first inclination that things are not as they should be is spotting James Kent in the crowd, his next is the traffic snafu and now he is on high alert. There's no sound to alert him to the bullet's presence until Taffett's head explodes in front of him and the scene quickly dissolves into chaos. Kent is still watching, still holding his video camera, and Booth doesn't like it one bit, but for now there's nothing he can do.

The part of him that is a sniper - that has seen heads explode before and more than a few times has pulled the trigger - is able to set aside the graphic nature of the incident and focus on the evidence. Evidence that he isn't sure he wants to know. Evidence that tells him exactly who did it long before Jacob is the last guy left on the official list.

Once upon a time, Booth had respected Jacob. More than comrades in arms they were brothers who wrestled with the same demons but pushed through them and climbed to the top of their field. He still understands and admires Jacob for the rescues he made over there; though there's no question in his mind that now things have gone too far.

It doesn't take long for his hunter instincts to return; not long before he is thinking like a sniper instead of a cop. So when he finds out it is Booth's name Broadsky is hiding under he knows what he has to do and he resolves to do it alone. The last things he needs is more innocent blood on his hands.

As he suspects, Jacob is waiting patiently for him. They exchange words, enough for Booth to know they aren't still playing. Enough to make him grieve for his brother who has taken things one step too far. When Broadsky challenges him, mocking him, Booth merely smiles to himself. The other reason he's come alone is because he can. He can go after Broadsky here and not break the law. This land belongs to Seeley Booth.

The next time, Booth resolves as he is sprawled out on the ground, gasping in the caustic smell of explosives as his fingers fumble on his phone, he needs better running shoes. And maybe some backup. Right now, though, he braces himself as the phone rings in his ear because he knows she's going to be pissed.

They're all pissed and he can't blame him but at the same time he knows he'd do the same thing again if he had to. But he nods in the right places so that they think he's learned his lesson and one by one he releases them into the night, waiting until the last back is turned before he allows himself a moment of defiance and flings his crumpled napkin across the table.

Alone with his mug of tepid coffee he stares through the window at Bones and her father. He thinks about all the hurt Max has caused her and the lies that he's told but his inner sardonic monologue tells him he's no better. And Max didn't leave a rogue sniper on the loose. Max pulls out some sort of shell and gives it to her and Booth wants nothing more than to hear what they are saying. Has she forgiven Max? Can she forgive him?

Booth watches the older man say his goodbyes and walk off, leaving Brennan on the curb, conch shell in hand. There is a look on her face. One he doesn't recognize. Her eyes close as she lifts the shell to her ear and her lips curve in a soft smile.

But there is no peace, no serenity, no escape for Booth. Not now. Maybe not ever.


	36. 116: She

116: She

As she had hoped, her world has turned right-side up again, though if she is honest with herself nothing is the same. Still, she is determined not to put any more pressure on Booth than she already has. In that vein she continues to pursue a friendship with Hannah, thinking that it is the best way to prove to Booth that she will honor his commitment to the other woman. They plan a lunch.

What happens on the day of their lunch perplexes Brennan. Pretense and subtlety are two things she has never learned how to employ, preferring instead to be forthright in her interpersonal relationships, so she defers to Angela's expertise on the subject when Hannah calls to cancel their lunch. Upon further deliberation she can see how flimsy the other woman's excuse is and that realization doesn't hurt her feelings as much as intrigue her.

And so she sets about launching her own private investigation as to why the other woman would cancel on her. Hannah continually evades her calls and finally she must track the other woman down at her car. Even then Hannah tries to escape but Brennan is persistent. She needs to know.

The answer makes her wonder if she should have suspected this all along. Booth is an upright man who would not feel right concealing something so important from his girlfriend. He would never cheat on Hannah. He would be honest about where things stood between he and Brennan. As Brennan hears this from the other woman's perspective she can understand; yet never before has the truth hurt so much.

Struggling to hide the regret for not accepting Booth's offer of a relationship so long ago - thereby saving both of them this pain - she apologizes to Hannah. She never meant for the other woman to become collateral damage in Brennan's war with her own emotions. She wants to prove that by offering to remain friends. To her relief, Hannah accepts and they part ways amicably.

Later that night at the bar, Brennan is struck once again by how much has been affected by her choices in the past. She attempts to persuade herself that it is time for her to move on. That Hannah is in Booth's life now and she needs to be happy for both of them no matter the pain she herself is feeling. Still, she doesn't accept the drink from the more-than attractive man who offers.

All things considered the night has gone well. The two women are as much friends as they could ever be and eventually they part and Hannah goes home. To Booth. Brennan, as she has done far too many times before, hails a cab and returns to her apartment, and for the first time she admits to herself that being alone sometimes does make her lonely.


	37. 116: Him

116: Him

He can think of a few times in his life where he's known he was screwed: catching sight of the MPs in the corner of his eye as he held his newborn son; being kissed by Felicia just before his outing as Cam's fake date to the Saroyan family birthday dinner; being unable to deny Bones her request to keep working together even though she'd just pulverized his heart. Now he knows he's screwed again.

Because the woman he's loved for six years loves him too. Because the woman he's loved for six months is the one he invited to move in. Because Seeley Booth has never cheated on a woman and he won't start now.

So he wavers back and forth, not really on _if_ he should tell Hannah what he now knows about Bones but _when_ and _how_. He tells Sweets he's not sure because he doesn't want to ruin the friendship between Bones and Hannah but they both know differently and he hates to admit he just needs to rip the band-aid off and get it over with. He can do this. Hopefully.

This is how he ends up at the Founding Fathers, carefully selecting every word that comes out of his mouth. He is going to have to go to confession later for the half-truths he told to quell Hannah's concerns. He just prays that it works. That they all survive this round.

Now he is sitting in his living room at home with a beer, watching a hockey game while the two most important women in his life go out for drinks. He wonders what they're doing: if they're having a good time; if they're talking about him. He tells himself that he should be happy Hannah isn't jealous and Bones isn't petty. But as the cool liquid slips down his throat he stops to consider what the future has in store for him now that these two are friends.

_Yeah__,_ he concludes, _I'm screwed. _


	38. 118: She

118: She

Not talking about things is something they've always excelled at so as the weeks pass nothing further is said about what happened between them on that rainy night. What neither one of them would have suspected, though, is how relaxed they've become in each other's presence. Because that thing? That one thing that they never admitted and never talked about? Has been.

Both of them bared their souls and both found themselves victims of incredibly bad timing.

They have both confessed their love. And the world has kept on spinning.

When she allows herself to dwell on such thoughts she finds that while sharing the truth with him was incredibly painful, having it out there is incredibly freeing. There is now no need for pretense between them and given Booth's current relationship status there is no need for them to make any life-altering decisions based on these feelings they now both know they share. If she is honest that is somewhat of a relief because life between them can continue on much in the same way it always has.

But now when she hears him talk about things. When he tells her that you can love a lot of people but there's only one you love the most. She can't help but voice her question. Can't help but ask him what happens if you let that one person get away.

Their eyes meet - truly connect - for a fraction of a second before he answers confidently that that person isn't going anywhere. And while she doesn't quite know what that means for them she nods and they toast to their partnership, ignoring all of the things his words imply. Because right now they each have their own paths to walk; their own obligations to keep. Right now some things are better left unsaid.


	39. 118: Him

118: Him

"The truth will set you free." It's a concept he's been taught his entire life and one he's just beginning to get a grasp on. On the Hannah front, sharing the truth with her has allowed their relationship to stabilize and allowed she and Brennan's friendship to blossom. This truth has eased the awkwardness that had characterized their relationship since they'd both come back.

She is his partner, his dear friend, and they are inching their way back to normal.

Perhaps it's the unique position he's found himself in but for the first time when they hit a case steeped in polygamy, he gets how a guy could fall for more than one woman, though he still sides with Sweets that the motive is jealousy. He chuckles inwardly when his partner accuses him of having a bias against polygamy; he really doesn't, he just has a different take on human nature than she does, but he lets it go. Later he will try and loosen the mood by calling the victim a moron for trying to juggle so many women. He will shove down that teeny part of himself that tells him he's no smarter because doing this, laughing together no matter how forced or corny it is, is something he's missed, so he will indulge himself for just a few minutes.

The truth of the murder is brought to the surface as it has been over and over again throughout their partnership. Booth suggests drinks, Bones suggests they invite Hannah too, and he shakes his head, knowing that Hannah is off chasing yet another hot story and won't be home 'til late.

A few drinks in, Booth is wearing a goofy smile and waxing poetic about loving a lot of people but only loving one the most. He's a little too tipsy to have a clue what he's talking about but at one point she smiles at him and he knows he likes that smile. So when the smile fades and she asks about the one that got away, he knows that they aren't talking about the case anymore and he has to reassure her. That person isn't going anywhere. _He_ isn't going anywhere.

Her smile returns and they toast to what is safe – to their partnership – and he is happy. When he gets home Hannah greets him with a kiss, glad that his case is over and her deadline has been met.

Yes, he thinks to himself as he drifts off to sleep, things are looking up in his life these days and maybe – just maybe – he'll get that happily ever after ending after all.


	40. 119: She

119: She

The first indication to her that something is wrong is when he shows up to the crime scene "slightly hungover." In the six years they've worked together he's never come to work in this condition and that concerns her, though it's no longer her place to question his judgement. So she says nothing. Not when she shares lunch with Booth and Hannah and can tell that he's lying; not when she notices that his smiles are too forced and his tone too jovial to be genuine.

Her feelings of unease concerning Booth continue as the case unfolds. There is a reckless edge about him but he refuses to divulge anything to her and so she is forced to keep silent. Her eyes are ever open, though, and on the final day of the case when he and Sweets return from their prolonged lunch she can tell that a fundamental shift has occurred, though what it is and what it means eludes her.

For the first time in recent memory he says nothing about going out for celebratory drinks after the killer is marked and it is Sweets who lets slip when she is dropping off her paperwork at the Hoover that Booth's meeting Hannah for a special dinner on the Mall. The news feels like lemon juice on a paper cut but she schools her features and reveals nothing, once again shouldering the regret that is her fault and hers alone. Hannah is not a consolation prize. Hannah makes him happy. Hannah is Booth's girlfriend. Brennan is merely his partner.

At home she buries herself in journal articles, and long-neglected e-mails, and a partially finished manuscript that she can't quite seem to find the right words for. What happens next is something she could never have anticipated; yet in the coming days she will wonder if she should have seen it coming after all.

A hundred replies spring to her lips as she listens to the other woman on the phone rationalizing why she's leaving as soon as she can pack the few bags she moved in with. She describes the ring and Booth's proposal and her frustration that Booth should've known she was not the marrying type, never guessing the effect her words have on Brennan. Hannah's story rings in her ears, the eerie parallels so stark even cold-fish Brennan can pick them up in a heartbeat, but for all she wants to tell this woman she also remembers what that trapped fear feels like; and she can no more fault Hannah than she can herself. They are similar in far too many ways for her to want to acknowledge, so she tells Hannah not to worry. She will take care of Booth.

The bar is empty when she arrives save for a lone figure, his broad shoulders slumped in defeat and misery, eyes staring blankly into a tumbler of what is most likely very hard liquor. The barman's look is one of quiet relief, knowing he won't be forced to evict one of his favorite patrons on his own and she nods her thanks for watching over Booth thus far.

As soon as he speaks it's clear this isn't his first drink or even his fourth or fifth so she approaches cautiously, all of the while hating Hannah for doing this to him when Brennan had expressly warned her that this would be the consequence. When he clarifies that he's drunk but not a drunk she knows what he's getting at and silently acknowledges his right to drown his sorrows in alcohol on this night. Cautiously, she takes the seat beside him, nodding when he tells her he doesn't want to talk about it. Eventually he will.

It's not long before he lashes out but when he does she feels the ache of regret once again. She has a share in causing his heartache too; possibly more of one than she's ever realized until this moment. He's listing the women in his life who have rejected him and the least she can do is help him list herself among them. Her heart is crushed when he asks what's wrong with what he's offering; why so many have rejected him. She yearns to tell him that it's _them_ not _him_ who are at fault but the only words that come are phrased in a question she's scared to know the answer to.

"What happens next?"

His answer is simple and straightforward:

Leave, and have a new partner by morning.

Stay, and accept that they are partners; just partners; and the most they will ever share is an after-case drink and idle chatter.

Her voice is barely over a whisper as she confirms, "Those are my only choices?"

"Yeah," Booth sounds more defeated than she has ever seen him and it's clear he's not sure if she'll stay or not given the terms. "Those are your only choices."

But she has already made her choice. It was made the moment she chose to come for him tonight, or maybe the moment she metaphorically spat in his hand and got back in his car; or during one of the other thousands of moments they've shared that has gotten them this far. Either way, she signals the bartender and sits back down at her place. Beside him.

"Then I'll have a drink."


	41. 119: Him

119: Him

Around the third drink Booth starts wondering how he ended up here in the first place. And how much longer he can listen to the kid beside him wax poetical about his love for Daisy Wick. Personally he'd rather gouge his eyes and ears out than spend time with her, but on one level he grudgingly admits he knows what it feels like to pine for someone who isn't as serious about you.

So he nurses his own scotch while Sweets makes his way to being plastered. Booth has a hazy memory of Brennan blaming the whole Sweets-attachment thing on baby ducks, but he's got a soft spot for the kid and he knows what it's like not to have a dad so he does the best he can to smile and nod where he's supposed to. This strategy works great; until Sweets brings up the 'M' word. He is going to need a harder drink. Then Sweets says something about being glad he's not like Booth - not old and unmarried is how Booth interprets it - and something in Booth snaps.

Because Sweets is right; Booth should be married by now, he wants to be married. And it's not like he doesn't have a girlfriend to ask; one who ran toward him instead of away from him and who gets along with his kid even though she thought she wouldn't. The more he thinks about it the more he wonders why he hasn't asked her before now and he decides almost instantly that it's time to go for it. Time to wear his heart on his sleeve. After all, what could go wrong?

The next morning it feels like there's an elephant convention being held in his head and of course he a dead body is found at the butt-crack of dawn, meaning that by the time he drags himself up to the top of what feels like the tallest building in DC, the sun is well on its way to blinding him for life. While he's doing his level best not to hurl at the sight of the moldy body or be blinded by the sun, his partner raises an eyebrow at him and proclaims him hungover when Cam asks what's wrong. Hodgins is snickering at him and really, Booth just wants to shoot all of them.

By lunch, though, he's feeling normal enough to at least know what to and not to say in front of his girlfriend and partner when they start poking around trying to figure out what he and Sweets were talking about. Not that he's ashamed about it but he wants to keep it a surprise and to spare himself a lecture about marriage being an antiquated ritual from a certain forensic anthropologist.

Fortunately for him the case goes pretty smoothly. Noel comes through for them once again and he and the squints make good progress. When Hannah calls to let him know she's got a meeting with some hoity-toit on Capitol Hill he grabs Sweets and tells the kid they're going to look at rings on their lunch break.

Once there, it's like Booth is infused with adrenaline and love and he's all but bouncing as the jeweler shows him the rings. Impulsively, he points to a big one and while part of him is blanching inwardly at the price tag as much as Sweets is, a larger part tells him it's time to go for broke. The ring he picks to actually buy is even bigger and he's so sure he's got nothing to lose that he calls Hannah as soon as they've left the boutique and tells her to meet him at the Mall for a special dinner when she gets off work.

The rest of the case goes by with a blur and he's so amped inside he blows everyone off after the case is solved and heads home to pick out the perfect outfit and put the finishing touches on planning the perfect night, all the while enjoying the pressure of the ring box in his pocket. Not even gambling ever made him feel this high.

He stands by the water and waits, spirits soaring as she arrives, as gorgeous as she could be and twirls in the moonlight for him before coming to stand by his side. In his head he's got the speech down to the last syllable but now that she is here his heart swells with love and he can't wait any longer. He asks her to be his wife.

Time comes to a screeching halt and he can tell he's caught her off-guard but he's still sure she will say yes until her head starts shaking and her lips move. It's like being thrown back in time to another woman in another trench coat telling him the same thing. And while "I'm not the marrying type" is slightly different from "I'm a scientist" the effect is the same. She says she thought they'd have more time before this moment. He shuts down.

There will be no begging, borrowing, or pleading for Seeley Booth this time. He schools his features tightly not giving her the satisfaction of a nod, grunt, frown, or anything as she begs to know what happens now. If she can't take what he's offering she doesn't deserve any of him. He's too old, too worn, too used to care anymore.

He tells himself that he doesn't care that she's leaving. Doesn't care that the last time he lost this much money in one night was back in his gambling days. That he's glad she will be gone whenever he gets home. That he hopes she takes her stupid phone and everything else she's brought with her. He remains standing stock still until he is sure she is gone and when he arrives at the Founding Fathers he makes sure it is free of anyone he knows before he sits down at the end of the bar to drink.

He starts with scotch but quickly moves to shots of the hardest liquor they've got when the pain still isn't dulled. He just wants to forget.

Some time later - he's not sure how much later - someone dares to sit down next to him. It is both the last person he wants there and the only person.

There is no preamble with her save the brief mention of who sent her before she asks what happens next. And that is the difference between Bones and Hannah. Hannah wanted to know about the present; Bones is already looking to the future.

But right now he is not thinking about the present or the future; he is angry. Angry because he's never thought of himself as a bad guy. Angry at them for not wanting him. Angry at himself for falling for them and for not being the guy who the girls want to stick around for. He's also tired of padding the truth for her so he lets her have it and doesn't hold anything back.

Then he tells her what will happen next. That he will continue being her partner and doing what they do and sharing their post-case drinks. But that's it. The look she's giving him makes him wonder if she'll accept those terms but at this point he's committed to standing his ground.

She accepts and they drink and he is relieved. Because he doesn't want to find her another FBI guy any more than she wants a new one. And for right now they are what they have been since the beginning: just partners.


	42. 120: She

120: She

She's never had any particular leanings toward Valentine's Day one way or the other. It's never been a priority of hers to have a date or be in a relationship with another person in order to go on a Valentine's date; she makes enough money on her own to buy herself roses and confectionery treats should she so please. Still, Cam's remark that she has someone to celebrate the holiday with where Brennan does not bites harder than Brennan wants it to. There is one man with whom she would like to spend the day.

Unfortunately that man is wallowing in his own grief and, as far as she knows, is still mad at her for her role in the crushing of his heart. According to the terms they struck late that night at the bar, the extent of her role in his life is that of his partner. She can abide by these terms. She must.

But she can no more divorce herself from being his friend than she can from being his partner and so she decides that she will do her best to make sure this day is as painless for him as possible. Drawing on her vast pool of knowledge she supports the sometimes-irrational claims he makes about Valentine's Day and its history. She makes sure that he knows she is turning down her male suitors so that he is not jealous. And she begins formulating a plan to distract him from the morose bent his thoughts have taken.

Her aim in solving the case, however, is still to discover the truth, no matter how eager her co-workers are to solve it so that they can enjoy a nice dinner with their significant others. She cannot deny though that she is relieved that the case has been solved so quickly because the others' impatience is wearing thin. She bids them all farewell and good luck, then makes for the janitor's closet and down into the hidden bowels of the Jeffersonian.

Once she locates what she is looking for she sets off in search of her partner. As she has anticipated he is at the gun range, discharging his weapon at a tattered paper heart. With great caution she interrupts him and makes her offering. He accepts and as the bullets fly she silently wishes that her company means something to him; that he will allow himself this moment of frivolity; and ultimately, that he will begin to heal.


	43. 120: Him

120: Him

He's not a cynical person; or at least he doesn't allow himself to be. Not after he saw it consume his father after Vietnam. Or nearly do so with Jared. Bitterness is another poison he doesn't indulge in; after all he's seen with the Rangers and the FBI he knows he can't. But surely, he tells himself when he wakes up on Valentine's morning to an empty apartment and an even emptier bank account, he's allowed to throw himself a pity party just this once.

Of course it's his luck that they land a case involving a wedding but for the most part he keeps his professional persona intact and his gun in his holster. The thing that impresses him the most is his partner. Sure, a few of her remarks might seem insensitive to anyone else but this is leaps and bounds ahead of where she started from and he can tell she's trying her damnedest to be supportive. She doesn't push him, doesn't prod him, and finds outlandish facts to support his Valentine's Day pessimism. The same can't be said of her team; ALL of whom are way too focused on racing through the case so they can enjoy evenings with the ones they love.

By the time the case is finally wrapped he's bitten his tongue so many times when it comes to the squints he's surprised he isn't bleeding out and as quickly as he can he makes his exit. The problem is, he realizes as he's walking out, is that he doesn't know where to go. His home has a bittersweet edge to it right now, his office is even less of a draw, and while a part of him wants to grab Bones and head out for a drink and soak in more of her support at the same time he wants to face his demons on his own like a man.

That leaves him with only one choice and to his relief the firing range is empty and he is free to do whatever the hell he wants. And so he shoots things. Targets. Allowing himself some good old fashioned Catholic self-flagellation for just how deep he's managed to dig himself in it this time for every loud shot that rings in his ears. He even lets his cynical flag fly in the shape of a heart that he takes great pleasure in ripping to shreds.

But before he can wade into deeper emotional waters he finds that he's not as alone as he thought he was. Words pour from her as she clumsily explains herself but she doesn't need to. Not in his eyes. It is enough to know that she is here. That she knows him so well. That despite their separate trips to Hell and back again she wants to be his friend. And as the bullets fly, their twin staccato beats fill the air and he cannot think of any other place or person he would rather be with tonight.


	44. 121: She

121: She

Her feet hit the pavement at regular intervals while the music in her earbuds speaks metaphorically about taking memories with you when you go. A smile tugs at the corner of her lips and she wonders what Booth would think if he knew about her new-found fascination with country music. She's fairly certain he would tease her. Since Valentine's Day things between them have stabilized and relaxed, falling nearly effortlessly back into the easy friendship they'd had before the seven month separation. And yet things are different as well as neither one of them is the same.

The run feels good but something in her periphery catches her eye. Her legs continue moving though her mind is trying to work out why he's here but before she can come up with an answer he gets a look in his eyes that says he's going to race her to the coffee cart. Their coffee cart.

It's almost been a year.

She wins. They both know it but he still gives her a hard time. She won't let him get away with it easily. Are they flirting as they banter back and forth about him coming to her lecture? She thinks they might be but she isn't sure. He set rules against this back at the bar, didn't he? So that this wouldn't happen again. And yet HE sought HER out. He orders for both of them and they toast, and sip, and smile shyly at each other. He warns her not to burn herself and she turns to keep his hand from covering her cup. She's familiar with his protective side, and looks to see his eyes dancing, teasing her without words about a kiss that never was. They smile because this is all-too-familiar ground though neither one pushes things beyond teasing. Their new-found equilibrium is too fragile for that.

Their date that isn't really a date but might be is curtailed by murder. Murder by a sniper. And she isn't sure what Booth is thinking because one minute he is snapping at her for saying the word "sniper" and the next he seems to admire Broadsky's actions overseas. She is going to have to tread lightly on this topic.

But treading lightly isn't a strong suit and before she joins him on the roof she needs to know what his motivations are. He would do the same for her, she is sure of it. His eyes tell her what she needs to know and not for the first time they turn to face the darkness. Together.

On the rooftop she is his partner and it feels all too natural slipping into the role of his spotter. In the bar she is his friend and while she cannot believe that he would think she could ever think he and Broadsky are coming from the same place she finds the words to reassure him. She is right by his side. As she always has been. As she ever will be.


	45. 121: Him

121: Him

He can't explain what's brought him here any more than he can stop the grin on his face as she spots him coming up alongside of her. The gleam in her eyes when he issues the challenge is just what he was going for and he pulls ahead just far enough that he can feel her on his heels. The banter between them as he crows about a victory he knows she will protest feels like a breath of fresh air in the stale corners of his soul.

Maybe that's why he lets it slip that he's memorized more than just her morning exercise rituals. Why he allows himself to enjoy the moment rather than analyze it to death. It should be up to him where he wants to spend his day off, right?

Unfortunately he's cock-blocked by a murderer; and not just any murderer, but Broadsky. Also Bones outs him to Caroline, who he is sure will give him hell about the Peloponnesian War once this storm passes. Or earlier. His mood is further soured when the prosecutor isn't as upset as she should be by Broadsky's blatant vigilante actions.

The more the case wears on the more Booth feels like he's swimming upstream against the current. Currents like Bones jumping out of the SUV and dancing around when he KNOWS danger is lurking just around the corner. And Broadsky calmly fixing a gun on him in his own apartment. And Sweets poking around his relationship with his partner for the millionth time.

Maybe that's why he grabs Winkler and enjoys seeing the little man flinch.

There is a moment when he teeters between doing what he threatened and doing what is right and in that moment it is her halting words that tip the scales. He still isn't sure he wants her exposed to so much danger but he knows by the set of her jaw that arguing any further would be a losing battle and so she tags along. If he is honest with himself she is exactly where she needs to be; a fact that is proved when she points out the symmetry of the old building and when she picks up the scope and rattles off Broadsky's temperature, position, and the wind speed like a pro.

He makes the shot and as always he hits what he intends to; though wrestling with whether it was the right shot will cost him more than one night's sleep. The words that Broadsky used in his visit, 'collateral damage' haunted his dreams, and gave him insight into the unthinkable. He knew that if his former comrade wasn't found, then he could be his next victim, or, God forbid, someone he cared about.

For now though, what's done is done and it's time for a drink. During which she'll start drawing comparisons again. Which will make him snap and demand answers. Her tone of voice tells him he should've known that. And he should have. And he will from now on. She will always be at his side.


	46. 122: She

122: She

She's mad at him. For not letting her go to the lab right away. For needing these stupid seats. For getting them trapped in an elevator when the city could be on the verge of a pandemic. For reasons that she cannot fully articulate. Then she is mad about herself for being mad and not for the first time she questions whether allowing herself to be more attuned to her emotions is a good thing.

But now they are here. Trapped. Alone. Mostly. She thinks it will be a small miracle if Sweets survives the night.

At first they don't really talk. Then they talk about what they never talk about it and conclude that they should talk about it. But not right now. Yet it appears that they can't NOT talk about it, so for a fraction of a second they both let down their guard and talk.

Making love. Those are two words she hadn't conceived of using before she met him yet she needs him to see in her verbiage that she would not consider a frivolous sexual liaison with him. His eyes are quite expressive and a thrill goes down her spine knowing that he has entertained the same notions she has. That they would be excellent sexual partners is a foregone conclusion.

She offers to give him a Thai massage, carefully timing it for when Sweets is not in their general proximity. This is just between them. Physical contact has always been a part of their relationship but never unprofessional; never unjustifiable. Playful shoves. Guy hugs. Lips touching a hand protecting her from hot coffee. A peck on the cheek from a grateful sister. A flotilla of steamboats that dragged them back to a more innocent time if only for a moment. Tie adjustments. Interlocking arms. Clasped hands. A warm hug after seven long months.

She hasn't touched him as much as she's touched him today in over a year. She has never touched him this intimately.

All too soon, however they must refocus on reality but when the solution finally occurs to her she doesn't want to propose it. Doesn't want to jeopardize his memory of that perfect day. He doesn't deserve any more pain. He says it's okay and they break free. Together.

Later, when the seats are fixed and the electricity is back on she will learn two important things: one, he's angry - but not at her; and two, he really, really wants for them to be together. Eventually. And for tonight, that is enough for her.


	47. 122: Him

122: Him

Even on the coldest, snowiest day since he's moved to DC all it takes is one look and he can remember that one perfect day from his childhood. Back when they'd torn down the Vet he'd looked into getting seats of his own but the price tag had been too steep and he really can't believe that someone would just toss them aside. He HAS to have them.

Fortunately, Bones and Sweets are there to help; unfortunately the blizzard is reaching freakish proportions and just when it looks like they're set, the power dies and the elevator stops. He's pretty sure his partner is going to blow a gasket and doubly sure it has nothing to do with not being at the lab.

Thus begins the perilous juggling act between pissy partner, nosy shrink, and a phone that rings every two seconds with some new tidbit about the case. Then his partner squashes him, putting his back out of commission. Fortunately, Mrs. Ross has a stash of frozen peas. Unfortunately, Sweets goes one step too far and the peas are the only thing Booth has handy.

In between Sweets and the case, though, is an odd conversation that's so layered Booth can barely keep on top of it. She's only talked to him about this one other time and that didn't end well but he's kind of glad that she wants to talk about it because he does too. Eventually.

The topic won't die, though, and pretty soon he's admitting things to her that he's barely admitted to himself. Of course he doesn't volunteer that he's thought about having her in everything from her lab coat to the fancy dresses she wears to the museum's formal events. But what happens after that? The question is more for himself than her. Could reality live up to the dream?

There's a sparkle in her eyes that he hasn't seen before. That he didn't know she could have for him. For them. But she does. And later when she gives him a massage it will be all he can do to not think about how much her touch turns him on.

Meanwhile, they are still trapped and there's still a sick criminal on the loose who could be infecting half the city for all they know and really between Sweets and the squints' interruptions there's no time to think about much more. So he sets it aside - along with his pride - and apologizes to Sweets. He shares his perfect day story with Bones and warms at the understanding and compassion he sees there. Her understanding makes him willing to sacrifice a memory for their freedom.

One dead murderer, a trip to the hospital, and several horse-sized pills later they laugh as he fixes the seats and she makes a dinner worthy of a baseball game. He loves the way she throws herself into things almost as much as he loves that look she gets when she's thinking squinty thoughts. And her soft laugh. And infectious curiosity. And rare honesty.

Together they count to three and wish away imperviousness and anger. And that night when he goes to sleep the dream that one day she will be the one beside him when he wakes up returns. And that? That will be his new perfect day.


	48. 123: She

123: She

Feeling as if people do not understand her position on things is a familiar one for her. As a child, her intelligence created a disparity between she and her classmates; one that only escalated as she grew older, and was not helped when she was thrust into foster care. Once she progressed into graduate work, however, the academic climate changed and she discovered quickly how cutthroat the world of the professional scientist is. Here her objectivity and higher-than-average reasoning skills served her well and enabled her to gain the admiration of her peers. She built up a reputation among them and it is something she takes very seriously to this day.

Perhaps that lack of competitive drive is something she has never been able to respect about Dr. Douglas Filmore. Yes, she acknowledges that the man is congenial but there are plenty of other Canadian scientists who are the same way but who would still chew a fellow scientist up and spit them out if they felt it was deserved. Filmore, however, strikes her as weak and slightly pathetic and she is unsure how the man ever survived defending his doctoral thesis with such a frail self esteem. Brennan learned early in her career to develop a thick skin when it came to her colleagues' critiques and to stand up for her profession and her beliefs as well.

Apparently every scientist in her lab has forgotten this basic tenant as she encounters reproof for her treatment of the man at every turn. From Angela and Booth she understands this as they are not scientists, but Hodgins should, as well as Sweets since he is experienced in the rigors of academic pursuit.

In the end she weighs everyone's opinions on her own scales and finds that while her general opinion of the man and his peculiar branch of science are the same, her treatment of him as a fellow scientist and human being could have been better handled and she allows him a small measure of contriteness.

Later with Booth he seems pleased with her decision, which pleases her. For as much as she refuses to lay aside her professional integrity, she doesn't enjoy being perceived as a "cold fish" or "unfeeling." When he tells her that he knows what kind of person she is, she can't help but think of Avalon's words so long ago. Can't help but wonder if he truly is dazzled by her.


End file.
